Here
by breatheactsing123
Summary: A JimxPam story. The idea has certainly been done before, but I wanted my spin on it. Let me know how you feel about it! I don't own anything.
1. Chapter 1

After completing a sales call, Jim meandered from his desk to the reception area, much like he had done for many years, to talk to his good friend, Pam Beasley. As was the usual, she was absentmindedly playing a game of freecell.

"Hey, Beasley?"

"Uh-huh?" Pam asked, looking up.

"My mom is coming down soon, and so I need to buy a sweater. Just so that she doesn't think I spend all of my non-office time in old jeans and a crappy t-shirt."

"But you _do _spend all of your non-office time in old jeans and a crappy t-shirt." she teased.

"Oh, can it Beasley. Can you help me pick out a sweater at the mall after work tonight?"

"Fine, but only because I know you'd fail miserably without me." she said sarcastically. She liked spending time with Jim.

"Awesome, thanks. I'll pick you up around 6:30?"

"Um, why don't you just meet me there? I don't know how Roy would-"

"I get it. It's fine, we can meet up." Jim said, his voice a tone more serious.

It was no secret that he and Roy didn't like each other. Jim hated Roy. He was lucky enough to end up with a girl like Pam, a sweet, loving, passionate girl like Pam, and he couldn't be bothered to even set a date for their wedding. He was, in short, an ass. Trying to push it from his mind, Jim focused on the night ahead of them. Jim didn't really need a sweater, but it was a great excuse to spend a little time with the girl of his dreams.

* * *

Pam arrived home that night to find Roy already on the couch, beer in hand as he watched a college football game.

"Roy?" Pam called out, testing the waters.

"Yeah?" he responded, not looking away from the TV.

"I'm going to the mall with some girls from work tonight. You know, Angela and Meredith."

"That's fine. Just make some dinner before you go. And bring back something sexy for yourself," he said, reaching behind her to smack her rear. Pam gasped, though at this point she wasn't surprised by the gesture.

"Roy, you know I hate that." She said calmly, though her teeth were gritted.

"Calm down, baby. Can't I touch the ass of my hot girlfriend?"

"I'm not your girlfriend, we're engaged." She muttered, returning to the kitchen to make dinner.

"Don't back talk me," Roy said, his voice now a low threat.

She sent out a quick text to Jim as she gathered all of the necessary ingredients for meatloaf. "Meet me outside of Macy's?" it read. As she was pouring all of the spices together, she received a confirmation text. She put the loaf in the oven and quickly changed from her office clothes to a loose-fitting blouse and jeans.

"The meatloaf will be ready when the timer goes off. Love you!" she called as she left the house, knowing he wouldn't respond.

* * *

Just as they'd planned, Jim was waiting for Pam outside of the Macy's that stood as the entire front portion of the local mall. He had changed into his usual old jeans and crappy t-shirt. Pam chuckled to herself.

"Hey, did I keep you waiting long?" Pam asked as she and Jim walked into the store.

"Nah. Did Roy give you shit?"

"I told him I was going out with Angela and Meredith."

"Oh, what a coincidence, they're coming too!" Jim said sarcastically.

"Oh, well now it's a party."

"Totally."

"How about this one?" Pam said, pulling a royal blue sweater off a rack.

"That color seems pretty dark."

"Oh, sorry, did you want a pink one?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did."

"Duly noted."

They continued in this banter for an hour and a half, until they finally agreed on a cream-colored sweater in the clearance section. They checked out, and Jim turned to Pam.

"Thanks," he said.

"No problem!" She said, as her stomach let out a loud gurgle.

"Well _someone's_ hungry. Let's go get some pretzels."

"Damnit," Pam said.

"What?" Jim inquired.

"Ugh, Roy requested I get something "sexy" for him to see when I get home. You can go if you want, I'll be fine."

"Pam, this mall is packed. You sure you'll be okay?" Jim asked, knowing Pam could get really nervous in crowds.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Really, go."

"Alright. Call me when you get home. It's supposed to start raining pretty soon, so drive careful."

"Will do."

* * *

It was nearly 9:30 by the time Pam got home from the mall. Jim was right, the roads were terrible. Pam looked towards the living room to find Roy in the exact same position she'd left him, sitting on the couch with a beer in his hand. The only difference was the meatloaf plate on the end table.

"There's my girl," he said, getting up to put his hands on her hips and kiss her neck, his breath stale with the smell of the alcohol. "Ready to show me what you bought?"

"Yeah, just have to call Jim and tell him I got in safe." she said absentmindedly.

"Jim?" Roy questioned.

"_Fuck."_ Pam thought.

"You were with Halpert? You little slut!" Roy said, pushing Pam to the hardwood ground of their kitchen. Pam's hand instantly went to her head, which wasn't bleeding, but still hurt like hell."You were with Halpert and you bought lingerie? What the fuck, Pam?" he yelled, kicking her in the sides. "You lied to me. You lying, sluttly little bitch." he said, throwing his beer bottle to the floor. The glass splintered, and Pam felt some of it sink into her arms. "I'm going to the bar." He announced, angrily huffing out of their apartment, leaving Pam on the ground, sobbing in pain.

She realized that her phone had remained in her hand throughout this whole incident, and that she had somehow, through all of the rustling on the touchscreen phone, dialed Jim. She could hear him yelling into the phone.

"Pam? Pam, are you okay?!" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It was nothing."

"Pam, I heard all of that. It wasn't nothing."

"I'm fine. Don't worry about it. It was just a little fight. Couples get in little fights.

"Pam, if you think I'm falling for that, you're seriously underestimating my intelligence. I'm already halfway to your apartment."

"Jim, I'm fine."

"Pam, I heard your sobbing and I heard the glass break. I'm coming to get you and there's nothing you can do about it."

"How much did you hear?" she asked softly.

"Enough."

"There's glass in my arm."

"Pull it out if you can. I'm almost there. Are you bleeding much?"

"Um… yeah." she said, looking down at her arms, which had large, red stains blotted all over them.

"Do you think you need to go to the hospital?"

"No."

"Do you think you don't need to go, or do you just not want to go?" Jim asked, his calm tone now a bit more urgent.

"I don't want to go."

"Alright. I'm coming up the stairs now. I'll take a look at them and we'll see."

"Okay."

Neither of them hung up until Jim entered the room. The first thing he saw was the glass. Brown pieces of glass scattered all around the floor in various sizes. The next was Pam, sprawled on the floor and helpless, still crying and still bleeding.

"Hey, hey, hey, He said, quickly and softly. "I'm here now. You're okay." He placed a hand on the small of Pam's back and guided her to a seated position. "Pam, I'm going to pull this glass out now, okay? It might hurt a bit, so squeeze my hand, but try not to move." He said, giving her his left hand as he laid her arm over his knee to pull the glass out. Pam squeezed his hand, but didn't move except for flinching. "You're doing great, Pam. Okay, this arm doesn't need stitches, but I need to do the other one. How's your head?"

"Hurts," she moaned.

"I know, I have some aspirin back at my place."

"Oh, Jim. You don't need to-"

"I'm going to. You're not staying here." He said, his tone making it clear that this wasn't up for discussion. "Okay, all the glass is out. Can you walk, or do you need me to carry you?"

"Help me up."

He attempted to pull her up gently, but it was clear the pain in her ribs was too severe.

"I'm just going to carry you, okay?" he said, scooping her up and carrying her to the elevator, and then to his car, buckling her in.

"How long?" Jim asked, distraught.

It took a while before Pam could answer.


	2. Chapter 2

After summoning some courage, Pam knew it was time to answer Jim.

"It started in high school, I guess. We were just kids. We'd hang out and watch a movie, and I'd be too lazy to get up and get him a water, so he'd slap me. Or I'd take too long to get ready for a date, and he'd hit and kick and scream. He always apologized, though. He was always sorry. I know you don't like him, Jim, but he has his moments. He can be just as sweet as you when he tries. He's just always been like this. I couldn't change it, so I stopped trying."

"How could no one ever notice? I spend at least a quarter of any given work day at your desk, how could I not notice?"

"Jim, I was working really hard to hide it from everyone. Makeup does wonders."

Jim felt his heart sink into his stomach. He never liked Roy, but he'd never realized how terrible he was to Pam. He clenched the steering wheel a bit harder, thinking about how it might feel to return every punch to Roy's jaw.

"How could you stay with him that long?" Jim asked, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

"He was all I knew. He's the only boyfriend I've ever had, and he has me convinced that I'll never make it without him, and I know it's bullshit but I still believe it."

Jim could tell she was starting to get upset, and he took one hand off the wheel to put it over hers. Her palms were sweaty and still stained red with blood.

"We don't have to talk about it right now. We're home."

"Jim?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"Anytime, Beasley. You need me to carry you?"

"No, I think I got it now."

Jim still held her hand and supported her as they gingerly walked from the parking lot to the elevator, to his apartment. He led Pam to the couch before retreating to the kitchen. Pam wondered where he was going, but understood when he came back with a paper cup of water.

"Aspirin," he said, handing her the cup and two round pills.

"Thanks," she said, swallowing them. "I need to get cleaned up. Can I use your shower?' She asked.

"Yeah, let me grab you a towel and some stuff to change into. I'll be right back." he said, going to his room and grabbing a clean towel, an old t-shirt, and a pair of sweatpants.

He went back to the living room and helped Pam up, pointing her in the direction of the bathroom. While she was in the shower, he put on a teapot in order to make hot chocolate for both of them. By the time he heard her shut off the water in the shower, the teapot was whistling, and he poured the cocoa packets into the mugs, stirring slowly as he waited for her to re-emerge. Jim was shocked at the sight of her when she did. With all of the makeup washed away, Jim could see black and blue marks all over Pam's arms, neck, and face. It made his blood boil, but he acted like he couldn't see them for her sake. Sliding a mug towards, her, he urged her to be careful with the hot liquid.

"Whipped cream?" he asked.

"Sure," she smiled.

He placed a generous amount of whipped cream in her mug, but then sprayed her nose with the nozzle also, claiming that his hand slipped.

"Oh, sure, Halpert," she said, taking the bottle and spraying a generous amount of whipped cream on his cheek.

Jim wiped the whipped cream off his cheek and swiftly rubbed it on hers, being careful not to push too hard on the bruises. Pam looked shocked, and then laughed, and Jim couldn't help but smile at the sight of her. Even with her damp hair, bruised face, and whipped cream cheek, she looked beautiful. She was beautiful. Jim wanted so badly to be able to kiss away the bruises, and make sure no one ever touched her like that again. He would do his damn best. He looked at the clock and realized how late it was.

"Ugh, we have work in the morning, it's getting kind of late." He said to Pam.

"Oh, gosh, you're right." She said.

"Are you going to go in tomorrow?"

"Can you drive me to CVS? I still had my wallet in my back pocket, but all of my makeup is still at Roy's apartment."

Jim thought for a minute. If she had makeup, it was another chance for her to cover up the bruises, and for Jim to not know. She could get hurt again. However, he knew he wouldn't let Roy that close to her again.

"Yeah, let's go." he said, grabbing his keys out of the bowl he kept by the door.

He opened the door for Pam, and noticed that she was a bit more shy once she realized that she was in public without the shield of her makeup. Jim allowed a hand to fall across her back and on her hip. He looked down at her and whispered.

"You're beautiful. It'll be okay. If you show me what makeup you need, I'll take it to the register. We're not going to run into anyone this late at night."

"Thanks, Jim." She whispered before walking around his car to get into the passenger's seat.

The ride to CVS passed in silence, though neither of them really noticed, because they both were lost in their own thoughts. Jim glanced at Pam to make sure she was still okay. They could go get her stuff during lunch tomorrow. He could clear out some space in his bureau and his closet, he wasn't using much of the space as it was. Roy didn't know where he lived, did he? Roy still worked right downstairs. No one would let him touch her in the office, though. Everyone loved Pam. Even _Dwight _wrote a really nice note in her birthday card. Not that it should even matter, Roy should be arrested! God, what an ass...

Pam locked her eyes on the road, where it was still raining. Thank God for Jim. She'd probably still be laying on the floor with glass in her arm if it wasn't for him. God, she was so stupid! If she hadn't let it slip that she was out with Jim, none of this would've happened. Roy was going to be so angry when he got home and she wasn't there. He'd take it out on her, certainly, but he'd been doing that since high school. She could handle that. She couldn't stand the thought of Roy taking it out on Jim.

"Take me home. " Pam said, out of the blue.

"No." Jim said firmly.

"Jim," Pam said, aggravated.

"No, Pam. You're not going back there. He's been abusing you for what, seven years now? No. Enough is enough. It kills me to see you hurt like this. You aren't going back there."

"Jim, he'll hurt you." she whispered.

"Better me than you."


	3. Chapter 3

They arrived at the CVS and walked into the desolate store. Not surprisingly, very few people were out doing errands this late at night. Jim watched as Pam perused through the endless shelves of blush, concealer, and infinite other products he didn't know the name for. She picked out four or five containers and handed them to Jim with a credit card atop the pile.

"It's fine, I got it."

"Jim, I'm the only one who's going to wear the makeup, I can pay for it."

"How do you know that I'm not going to wear the makeup?" he teased.

"Jim, I've got it."

"Fine, you win. The car should still be unlocked." Much to Pam's relief, no one in the store had seen her bruised face and arms, and she headed back to the car.

When Jim got to the register, however, he gave the cashier his own card. Just as Jim was taking the bag from the teenage employee, another customer burst in angrily. It was Roy. Jim quickly dropped his head to the floor as Roy huffed over to the refrigeration area and grabbed two six packs. Jim rushed out of the CVS and back to his car. He didn't see Pam.

"Oh God, Oh God," Jim thought, opening his door to put the makeup down before he went off to look for her. As he heard the bag hit the floor, however, a gasp came from the passenger's side.

"God, Pam, are you okay?" he asked, climbing in and helping her up.

"I saw his truck and I just, I just, oh God, Jim." she said, too hysterical for words.

"Pam, it's okay. I'm here. You're okay. We're going to leave right now and he'll never know we were here." He said, leaning over to buckle Pam's seatbelt before pulling out of the CVS. "Here's your card back," Jim said after Pam had calmed down, handing it back to her.

"Thanks," she said, taking her pink wallet out of her back pocket and sliding the card back into it's slot.

"What time do you want me to wake you up tomorrow? We have to leave here around 8:30. "

"8 should be fine."

"Great, that's when I get up. I'm going to sleep on the futon in the living room tonight, so you can take the bed."

"Jim, you don't have to do that."

"It's fine. I want to see the baseball game I DVR'd. There's no TV in my room." It was a lame excuse, but he wanted to be the first one to know if Roy was going to burst into his apartment in the middle of the night.

Pam knew it was a lie, but she was willing to accept it for a good night's sleep. She felt like she hadn't slept in ages. God, she could fall asleep right now.

* * *

"Pam? It's time to wake up." Jim gently placed a hand on Pam's arm.

"Hm?" She murmured, her eyes still closed.

"It's time to get up, we have to go to work." Pam let out a raspberry, to which Jim laughed. "I know, I know, not the most exciting thing in the world, but it's got to happen."

Jim left the room so that Pam could change and get ready for the day. The outfit she had worn out to the mall with Jim last night wasn't exactly something she would normally wear to work, but it would have to do. She noticed that Jim had washed it- there wasn't any blood on it. She pulled it over her head and pulled the pants she had worn to work yesterday on after taking Jim's sweatpants off. Luckily she hadn't stained the corduroys during the day yesterday. Hopefully no one would notice she was wearing them two days in a row. She opened the door conjoined to Jim's bedroom and untied the plastic CVS bag that had all her makeup in it. She had done this plenty of times before, but working with only the brushes that came with the makeup made it a bit harder. She managed, however, and within 20 minutes walked out of Jim's bedroom looking good as new.

"Morning," Jim said as she walked into the kitchen and living room area, where he was sitting, watching the news with a mug of coffee.

"Morning," she responded.

"There's a mug of coffee for you on the counter." He said, flipping the TV off.

"Thanks, Jim." She said.

"Hey, so, I was thinking during lunch today, we could get your stuff from Roy's apartment."

Pam nearly choked on her coffee. "Jim, I don't know if we should jump to anything so drastic yet."

"Pam, I hardly think that's drastic. You're not going back there, so what does it matter?"

"I have to go back."

"No you don't, Pam. You shouldn't go back. Pam, I'm not going to let him hurt you anymore, even if that means you never see him again."

"He'll find me. I can't get out. It's too late now." Pam said, starting to get upset.

"Hey, hey, hey. It's okay, don't get upset. Listen, we'll get your stuff at lunch today. If you go back, you can always bring the stuff back, okay?" Jim consoled her. There was no way in hell she was going back, but if it got every piece of her out of Roy's apartment, that's all she cared about.

"Okay." Pam agreed, although she didn't sound very sure of it.

"Great. You ready to go to work?"

"As I'll ever be."

* * *

"We're a little early," Pam noticed as Jim pulled into the parking lot of Dunder Mifflin.

"Yeah, I figured it'd be best if people didn't see that I was driving you in and not Roy. I don't know if you've noticed this, but some of the people in our workplace don't really understand what boundaries are." Jim responded, sarcasm heavy in the last sentence.

"Hmm… Now that you mention it, I think you might be right." Pam said, thinking of all the over-the-line things Michael had said over the years as they walked into the building and then the elevator.

As Jim had predicted, they were the first in the office. Jim took both of their jackets and hung them up as Pam took her seat behind the reception desk, listening to the messages left for Michael the night before. Jim booted up his computer and waited, watching Pam as she took down messages dutifully. Once his computer was fully powered on, he checked his email and found one that Michael must have sent late last night. He clicked it, and it read:

"Jimmothy!

You and me, Jimbo. Big sales call. Tomorrow at 2. Don't screw up!

Your best friend,

Michael Scott.

"Hey Pam?" Jim said.

"Yeah?"

"So, I have to go on a sales call today at like 2. You gonna be okay if I'm not here?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

The idea of Jim not being there certainly gave Pam a bit of anxiety, but she could handle it. It's not like Jim could just skip a sales call. Shaking her head, she went back to her work, trying to push the anxiety to the back of her mind.

* * *

"You ready to go?" Jim said, handing Pam her coat at the start of their lunch break.

"I guess," Pam said, feeling extremely nauseous as they exited the office and she pulled her coat on.

"Don't worry about it. I'm right here, nothing's gonna happen to you." Jim said, putting his arm around Pam's shoulders comfortingly.

Pam let her head fall back until the elevator opened. They walked to Jim's car undetected, and Jim drove them back to Roy's apartment. Pam took the key from underneath the doormat and slowly swung open the door, revealing the stench of pizza and beer.

"Gross," Pam muttered. "Let's be quick." she said, wanting to be out already. "Our bedroom is this way," she said, leading him away from their kitchen.

Jim placed the cardboard box he had brought in on the unmade bed that she presumably shared with Roy, helping her fold and pack numerous cardigans, button up shirts, and pencil skirts, along with a few casual and dressy outfits. It only took them about 20 minutes to pack everything up.

"You ready?" Jim asked.

"Yeah, you can go put that in the car, I'll meet you down there. I'm just going to grab my makeup case and my purse and stuff."

"Okay," Jim said, giving her some space although it made him nervous to do so.

Pam gathered all her things from the bathroom and the closet floor and looked around the bedroom. She took a deep breath as she slid the silver engagement ring off her left hand and left it on Roy's nightstand. "I'm sorry," she whispered, before leaving the room for good.


	4. Chapter 4

The drive back to Dunder Mifflin had been uneventful. They were back within their lunch hour, and left Pam's box in Jim's car, hoping to continue their day in a normal fashion. They sat back down at their respective desks, and luckily no one commented on their absence. After doing a bit of work, Michael appeared from his office.

"Jimbo!"

"Hey, Michael," Jim said, unamused by the nickname.

"You ready for that sales call?" Michael asked, punching Jim in the arm jokingly.

"Please don't hit me." Jim said.

"Come on, Jim! It's just a joke! You know, like, a bro joke? You know, bros before hoes?"

"You know what, Michael, why don't we just go." Jim said, trying to recover from his boss's awkward personality.

"Bye Michael. bye Jim." Pam said as the two put their coats on.

"Bye Pam." Jim said. "Hey Kevin?" Jim called across the office.

"Yes?" Kevin called, looking up from his calculator.

"If you need anything, I'll have my cell phone on me." Jim said, shooting a quick glance at Pam to ensure that she knew that message was really intended for her.

"Wow," Kevin said, taking a longer-than-average pause. "Thanks, Jim."

"Anytime, Kev." Jim said, winking at Pam as he walked out the door.

Taking advantage of the fact that Michael wasn't in the office to disturb them, everyone in the office was dutifully doing their jobs, trying to get as much done as possible before Michael's inevitable return. Pam, having finished all of her faxes and phone messages for the moment, had retreated to a game of solitaire. She let out a frustrated sigh due to being out of moves when she heard a loud stamping of feet heading towards the office. Dwight could hear it, too, likely because he was the next closest to the door, and looked up at her. The concern in his face was nothing compared to the fear in hers. No one else in the office looked up until the door swung open, hitting the glass wall it connected to with a bang and a shatter.

"Roy, no." Pam whispered, too shocked and afraid to move as he charged towards her.

"Who do you think you are? Just leaving in the middle of the night like that?" He pulled his hand back and got a good slap to Pam's face in before Dwight was able to pull him to the ground.

"Pam, why don't you just come sit over here with Kevin and Angela," Oscar said, remaining calm as he took Pam's arm and lead her to accounting, where Kevin essentially blockaded her and Angela attempted to put an ice pack on Pam's face, which Pam denied.

Pam looked over to see Dwight struggling to hold Roy back, as Oscar tried to calmly tone down the situation. No one in the annex had noticed, but Phyllis was on the phone, presumably with the police.

"Listen, Roy, I understand that you're upset right now, but lashing out like this isn't okay. Do you understand that you just hit your fiance?"

"I'm not his fiancee anymore," Pam whispered, but only Angela heard it. Angela's only reaction was to place a small hand on Pam's back.

"Whatever, I'm done with this bullshit. Pam, if I were you, I would come home tonight." Roy said, leaving the room without hurting anyone else.

"Pam, do you still want me to have the police come over?" Phyllis asked, placing a comforting hand over Pam's.

"No," Pam said, shaking her head. "I'm not going to press charges, so there's really no point."

"Pam, you're not going to press charges?" Oscar said, returning to his desk at accounting, where she was sitting.

"No," She said, unable to make eye contact with him.

"Pam, I have Jim on the phone," Stanley said. His desk was close enough to the break room that she could retreat there for a private conversation. The cord would be in the way, but Pam didn't really care at that point.

"Pam, are you alright?" Jim asked, his tone urgent.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She assured him.

"What happened?"

"We were all just trying to get as much work done as possible before Michael got back, and Roy showed up."

"Did he touch you?"

"Not really."

"Pam, it's a yes or no question: Did he touch you?"

"Yes."

"God damnit!" Jim exclaimed, pounding on the steering wheel.

"Jim, aren't you in the car with Michael?"

"We took separate cars. Are you hurt?"

"No."

"Pam." Jim said, not believing her.

"He only got a slap in before Dwight tackled him to the ground."

"Remind me to thank him for that. Listen, I'm almost back to the office. Why don't you get your stuff ready and we'll just go home."

"Jim," she said, her voice shaky.

"What?"

"Roy's going to find me. He's going to find me and he's going to hurt both of us."

"Hey, hey, don't think like that," Jim consoled. "It'll all be okay. We can head to the police station tomorrow and -"

"No." Pam said.

"What?" Jim questioned.

"Jim, if we go to the police, I'll just have to see him in court, and I don't want that."

"We'll talk about it in the car. I'm coming up with Michael now. He doesn't know what happened."

"Let's keep it that way."

"See you in a second."

"Yup." Pam handed Stanley back his phone. "Michael's coming up and he doesn't know what happened. Let's keep it that way." Pam announced to the office as she retreated to her desk to grab her coat and purse.

"Leaving so soon, Pamalamadingdong?" Michael asked loudly when he entered the office, causing Pam to flinch.

"Oh, gosh Michael, you scared me. But yeah, I told you last week I was going to leave early today. I have a doctor's appointment."

"What a coincidence! I also have a doctor's appointment. Why don't we carpool?" Jim said, not giving Michael enough time to realize what was happening before exiting the office with Pam.

As soon as they got into the elevator and the door closed, Jim flipped the stop switch, dropped his briefcase, and turned to look at Pam. She asked him what he was doing. He pulled her hair out of her face and looked down into her green eyes searchingly.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"No," she whispered, letting one tear fall down her cheek. Jim pulled her into his chest and let her cry. He stroked the back of her head, his palm brushing against her soft curls.

Once he felt her stop crying, he flipped the elevator's stop switch off, and it resumed moving with a jolt. They slowly and wordlessly walked back to the car. Pam missed his warmth when they had to separate to get to the opposite sides of the car.

"You don't actually have a doctor's appointment, right?' Jim asked.

"No, but Michael doesn't need to know that."

"Yeah. Just figured I should check."

"Thanks."

"Do you think you can tell me what happened? The whole, unedited story?" Jim implored.

"Yeah," Pam said, taking a deep breath before she began. "We were all just sitting in the office, trying to get as much as we could done, and then Dwight and I heard this banging, and I knew what it was right away, but Dwight obviously didn't. I was so scared when I realized you weren't there that I couldn't move. He just ran up to my desk and slapped me, and then Dwight attacked him, and Oscar pulled me away, and put me at his desk. Kevin and Angela were trying to get me out of his sight, I guess. Phyllis called the police, but when Oscar got Roy to leave, I told her to to tell them not to come. Stanley got you on the phone. That's pretty much it."

"You should've let the police come get him, Pam." Jim said, disappointed that Roy wasn't already behind bars.

"I told you that's not what I want to do."

"Pam, I know it's not what you want to do, but will you at least consider it? Please? It's what this guy deserves."

"I guess it wouldn't hurt me to think about it."

"Thank you." Jim said.

He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to kiss away any memory of Roy. He wanted to kiss her in a way he knew Roy could never kiss her, because Roy never loved her. Even if he did, he could never love her the way Jim loved her.


	5. Chapter 5

Once Jim and Pam had gotten inside Jim's apartment, Pam excused herself to take a shower. Showers had become a cathartic thing for

Pam. For one, Roy never bugged her when she was taking a shower. He had, at first. He would pop in and just expect Pam to magically be

ready for sex, despite the fact that his smelly, disgusting self was, in fact, the opposite of sexy. Eventually, however, he stopped, due to the

fact that soap somehow always ended up in his eyes. Pam had paid for it, of course. She still had the welts from his belt on her back, and

they stung as a reminder whenever she took a shower. But it was worth it, because it meant that for 15 minutes every day, she could

pretend like she didn't live with Roy. Of course, now she didn't live with Roy, and that, like a cruel twist of irony, was so much more stressful

and scarier than living with him was. At least when she lived with Roy the abuse was contained to their home, for the most part. Now he

could strike pretty much anywhere. Pam knew the only way to stop this was to get the police involved. Pam really didn't want to see him in

court, but she knew seeing him a few times in court would be better than seeing him unpredictably throughout her life. It would be better for

her, but at this point she also had to make sure Jim was safe. She knew he would kill Jim if given the right circumstances and the

opportunity. It had to happen. For Jim. Shutting off the water, she changed into a pair of leggings and an old t-shirt that was on top of the box

they'd collected from Roy's earlier in the day. She brushed out her hair a bit and found Jim sitting on the recliner in his living room,

surrounded by take-out menus for local pizza joints and Chinese food restaurants.

"Hey, so what are you thinking about for dinner?" Jim asked, placing the menu he was looking at in his lap.

"I'm not really hungry." She responded, not making eye contact.

"Pam, we haven't eaten all day."

"Well, I had that cup of coffee in the morning. Caffeine is an appetite suppressant." Pam said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Come on, Pam. You've got to eat something."

"No I don't!" Pam said defiantly.

Jim was a little surprised by her outburst, and a little confused. "Pam, when was the last time you ate something?"

"It's been a while." she admitted softly.

"Why?" Jim asked, heartbroken.

"Well, I was tired of Roy calling me fat, so I thought I'd just lose a couple pounds, and then I really just like the feeling of control over food."

"What?" Jim asked, trying to suppress the fact that he thought she was crazy.

"Roy controlled everything! He controlled my job, he controlled who I hung out with, he controlled my clothes, I just want to control something in my life!"

"Pam, don't get upset," Jim said, helping her to a chair. "You're not fat, and you've never been fat, for one. You're beautiful, and Roy doesn't control you anymore. If you want to go out and get an all new wardrobe or something to make you feel in control, we can do that, but you've got to eat something, okay?"

"I really don't want to." Pam pleaded.

She knew this was going to come up if she was living with Jim, she had just expected it would take a bit longer than it had.

"Come on, Pam. A grilled cheese? I can't have you just passing out on me. It's a wonder you haven't already." he negotiated.

"Half."

"Half a grilled cheese and a bowl of tomato soup with some goldfish.

"Half a grilled cheese and half a bowl of tomato soup. No goldfish."

"Deal, but what's your beef with goldfish?" Jim asked, going to the kitchen to make their dinner.

There wasn't much to be done, but Pam helped to make dinner as much as she could. She put the can of soup on the stove and fetched the

butter and cheese from the fridge so Jim could make the sandwiches. She stirred the soup occasionally, but it was a relatively easy dinner. It

only took them about 10 minutes to make, and they sat at Jim's counter to eat. Jim cut a sandwich in two, and gave her the bigger piece.

"Hey, not fair!" She called out. "You got to cut, so I get to pick."

"My apartment, my rules." Jim said, flashing her a cheeky grin as he handed her a bowl of soup, which was much closer to the portion they'd agreed on than the sandwich.

Pam started with the soup, blowing on it before she took a bite. It wasn't that bad, for store bought soup from a can, and Pam ate most of it before she started to feel full.

"I'm not really hungry anymore," she said, getting up to put her bowl in the sink.

"I'm not buying that for a second, Beasley. A deal's a deal."

"Jim! I ate until I was full." she told him.

"Yeah, well, you've got catching up to do," he countered, pulling her chair out so she could sit and finish eating.

She began pulling apart her sandwich and dipping it in the remaining soup. Jim had long since finished his sandwich, but he got

another bowl of soup. Pam suspected it was only because Jim knew she'd feel uncomfortable if she was the only one of them

eating, but she appreciated the gesture.

"Jim, I'm full!" She argued.

"Come on, Beasley, you've got like, two bites left. You gonna wimp out now?"

"Ugh," she huffed, but she did eat the two bites. "I can't believe I just let you make me do that!"

"Hey, I didn't make you do anything. I persuaded you to do it. You still chose to do it on your own."

"Wise ass." she teased.

"You know, I do it because I care." he said, squeezing her hand quickly before putting their bowls in the sink.


	6. Chapter 6

Pam woke up at 10:30 and smiled. It was Saturday. It had been a long week, but there was no work today. She rolled out of bed and brushed her hair down so that it wasn't as frizzy. She walked into the kitchen to find Jim, still in his PJ's, with a mug of coffee and the morning paper.

"Morning." Jim said.

"Morning. Did you eat breakfast yet?" Pam asked, going to the fridge and finding eggs.

"No, are you hungry?"

"I was going to make eggs. Do you want some?"

"Sure," Jim asked, a little surprised at her changed attitude about food. He decided not to press it, due to the fact that it was a positive change. "Let me help you," he offered.

"I've got it," she said, placing a hand on his chest to push him away jokingly.

"Alright!" Jim said, lifting his hands up in surrender. "Did you sleep okay?" he asked.

"Pretty good, how about you?" She asked, cracking two eggs into a pan.

"Not bad."

"You know, you can take your bed back any time."

"I really don't mind the futon."

"Sure, Halpert."

"It's fine, really."

After a pause, Pam took a deep breath. "So, I was thinking about what you said in the car yesterday."

"Hm?" Jim asked, intrigued.

"I.. um. I think it would the best thing if I pressed charges against Roy." She admitted.

Jim looked at her, a tad shocked. "I'm really glad you feel that way, Pam. We can go down to the station after breakfast."

"Thanks, Jim. Here are your eggs."

Pam dropped the plate when she heard the banging at the door.

"Halpert!" An unmistakable voice boomed.

"Pam, the island is hollow. It opens at the back. Climb in and make as little noise as possible." Jim whispered urgently. Once it was safe to do so, Jim opened the door. "Hey, man. Is everything okay?" He asked as calmly as he could muster.

"I don't know, why don't you give me my girlfriend and we'll talk."

"Pam? I haven't seen Pam since yesterday. Is everything okay?"

"I know she left work with you yesterday, Halpert."

"Yeah, I dropped her off at a doctor's appointment. She said she had a ride home." Jim said matter-of-factly.

"Which doctor's office did you drop her off at?"

"The one off central. Let me know if you find her, okay?"

"Whatever, Halpert. I'm gonna kill that bitch!" Roy yelled, slamming Jim's door as he angrily huffed away.

Jim went into the kitchen and crouched down, pulling the wall of the island out to find Pam, shaking and crying. "Hey, hey, hey. You're okay. He's gone, I'm here." He said, gently pulling her out from the crawlspace and sitting on the ground with her in his lap. "He's gone now. You're safe," he reminded her, stroking her red curls.

"He's gonna kill me," Pam whispered.

"No." Jim said firmly, looking down into her tear filled eyes. "I promise you, I won't let that happen to you." Jim said, knowing that he'd never fully recover if Roy killed Pam. "Listen, we'll go down to the station as soon as you're ready. That way if he shows up here again, police will be aware of what's going on."

"Alright, just let me get cleaned up, and we'll go," Pam said, still a little shaky.

"You sure, Pam? We don't have to do it right this second." Jim said, not sure if she was mentally prepared.

"Well, I'll go get cleaned up, and we'll leave when I'm a bit calmer." Pam said, wiping a tear from her cheek as she retreated to Jim's room to get changed. He followed her into his room.

"I'm just gonna grab some clothes to change into," he said.

"Oh, yeah, totally. My bad, sorry."

"No worries." He said, pulling a pair of jeans and the sweater they had bought together out of his closet. "I'll just change in the bathroom," He said, going into the bathroom that was connected to his room. He washed his face and combed his hair before changing into the outfit. "Hey Pam?" he called. "Are you good if I come out?" He asked, wanting to make sure he wasn't going to walk in on her changing.

"Yeah, you're good." She said.

He walked out to find Pam sitting on the bed Indian style. "You ready to go?" She asked.

"Yup. Are you?" He asked.

"As I'll ever be," She said.

"Well, if it helps any, I'll be there the whole time."

"Thanks, Jim."

"Anytime," he said, helping her off the bed but continuing to hold her hand as they walked out of his apartment. They were greeted with a not-so-pleasant surprise when they got to the bottom of the stairwell.

"I knew it," Roy whispered menacingly.

"Pam, go back inside." Jim said, trying for her sake to sound calm.

"I wouldn't do that, Pammy." Roy said tauntingly.

"Jim," Pam said, frightened.

"Go." Jim said authoritatively.

Pam turned to rush back inside, and Roy lunged himself at her. Jim was quick enough to get in between them, and Pam rushed indoors. Now, Roy couldn't get in without being buzzed in, or having a code. Jim struggled not to let Roy towards the door.

"Roy, listen to me! It's done now. You're not going to touch her again." Jim said, finally shoving him off.

"Oh, yes, I am!" Roy said, balling his fists and getting ready to run for the door again. "Nice try, Halpert, but she is going to get such a beating for this, the little slut."

Jim couldn't handle it anymore. He pulled his fist back and decked Roy in the cheek, knocking the wind out of him. Roy was bleeding from his mouth, and hitting Roy's teeth with that force didn't do much good for Jim's hand.

"This isn't over, Halpert." Roy said, retreating to his truck.

"See you in court, asshole!" Jim yelled, but Roy was already in his truck and driving away.

Jim turned around and hurriedly pushed the code into the automated door lock, granting him access to the building. He rushed over to Pam, who was now sitting on a couch in the lobby, looking at Jim with a pained expression.

"Are you okay?" they both blurted out at the same time, meeting each other in the middle of the lobby.

Pam placed his hand on either side of Jim's face, guiding it down towards hers so he could kiss him, deeply and fully.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too." he whispered back, smiling, now unaware of the pain in his hand.

Pam stood on her tiptoes to kiss him again.


	7. Chapter 7

"Jim, is your hand okay?" Pam asked.

Looking down, Jim saw that his hand was a bit bruised and and scraped. "I'll live." He smiled. "Are you okay?" Jim asked. Roy hadn't touched her, but he'd certainly given both of them a fright.

"Better now." She said. "Let's go clean your hand up," Pam said, heading towards the elevator.

"Pam, don't you think we should-"

"The police will still be there when your hand is cleaned. It's my turn to take care of you, just accept it." Pam teased.

Jim smiled, following Pam to the elevator. Once they were back in their apartment, Pam grabbed a first aid kit from under the sink.

"How did you know that was there?"

"You got the aspirin from the kitchen the first night I was here, so I figured it must be around." Pam said, finding an antibacterial spray and a bandage. "This is going to sting a bit." Pam said, letting him hold her hand.

Jim bit his lip more than squeezing Pam's hand. He did use the opportunity to hold Pam's hand gently, however. It only took her five minutes or so to clean his hand.

"You ready to go?" Pam asked Jim.

"Pam, I'm ready whenever you are. We don't have to do this right now. Are you sure you're ready?"

"You'll be there the whole time, right?" Pam asked, squeezing his hand.

"I'll be around as long as you want me around." Jim said, speaking on broader terms than just their visit to the police office.

"Then I'll be fine. If I don't do this now, I'm kind of afraid I never will."

"Alright, let's do it then."

* * *

"Hi, we were looking to talk to someone about pressing assault charges?" Jim asked a friendly receptionist at the Scranton Police office.

"Alright, you can sit and wait here and we'll have a police officer help you when we have a second. We do have to have the person who was assaulted fill out some paperwork for our lawyers."

"Thanks." Jim said, sitting down next to Pam and handing her the clipboard. "Hey, do you think Dwight's here?" he teased.

"That would just be the icing on the cake, wouldn't it?" Pam giggled.

"I mean, he is a volunteer sheriff's deputy on the weekends."

"Wouldn't that be lovely? Watching Dwight arrest Roy?" Pam said, shaking her head at the thought as she went back to her paperwork.

It wasn't long before an officer emerged from his office, and invited Jim and Pam to follow him to a much more private room where they could discuss the charges.

"So, which one of you is filing for assault?"

"I am," Pam answered.

"Who assaulted you?"

"My ex-fiancee."

"Was he your ex-fiancee at the time he assaulted you?"

"No."

"Okay, Miss. That crosses a line towards domestic abuse. Abuse cases are treated a little differently. Essentially it only means that we have grounds for arrest without a warrant. It doesn't really mean anything for you, but I thought you'd like to know."

"Thank you."

"What is his name?"

"Roy Anderson." Pam said, and Jim could tell the words felt heavy falling out of her mouth.

Jim let his hand find hers under the table. Pam looked over to him and squeezed it.

"Right here, Beasley." Jim whispered.

"Can you tell me about the abuse? Was it mental, physical or sexual?"

"A bit of all 3," Pam said, looking at her lap, then around the room.

Jim felt himself get angry and upset, but tried not to appear so outwardly for Pam's benefit. The thought of him putting her in this position made his blood boil. He was in her mind, and he'd left his mark on her body. Jim now understood what she meant when she had said that Roy controlled everything.

"What were some of the things he said to you?"

"He told me that I was fat. He told me that I wasn't good at art. He told me that I was ugly, and that I was a hoe, a whore, a slut, a bitch, or any combination of those." Pam said, staring at the table in front of them.

Jim noticed how robotic she seemed, and he felt so bad for her. He knew this was hard for her to talk about. God, she was so brave. He could tell it was taking her a lot just to be here, and she had to pretend like no one else was even in the room in order to get the words out.

"Can you tell me about the ways he physically abused you?"

"He would use his fists and he'd kick mostly. And slap. Sometimes he'd belt me, or throw things."

"Okay. Thank you for coming in today. Everything else we need we can get from the form. I would like to talk to Mr. Halpert alone for a second, however."

Pam shot Jim a look of fear. Why did the officer need to talk to Jim? As far as Pam was concerned, Jim was there as a support system. This wasn't about how he punched Roy, was it? Because that was totally justified, given the circumstances.

"You can go. I'll be fine. I'll meet you in the lobby, okay Beasley?" Jim asked, squeezing her hand quickly and watching her walk out of the lobby.

"So you're Pamela's…?" The officer started.

"Friend. Just a friend." Jim said. They'd kissed, and it was beautiful and perfect in both their eyes, but they were just friends at the moment.

"It's a hard thing for us policemen to say to victims, because they don't want to hear it, but it's possible she'd benefit from seeing a counselor. She's staying with you, I assume?"

"Yes, sir."

"Just bring it up and see how she reacts. Don't push it too hard, because then she'll never go."

"Okay, sir."

"I trust that you're doing this already, but keep her safe. We'll do the best we can. Call us if you feel unsafe. Better we show up to nothing than not show up to something."

"Thanks."

"Just doing my job."


	8. Chapter 8

"You ready to go?" Jim said, emerging from the police officer's work area.

"Yeah. What did he say to you?" Pam asked curiously as they walked out the door and back to his car.

"Nothing," Jim said noncommittally.

Jim planned on complying to the officers request. He had already considered asking Pam if she'd see a therapist. It wasn't healthy for her to have all of the pain inside her that she was probably harboring after being with Roy, and Jim could only help so much, as much as he wished he could make her better himself. There was a right way to present this idea, and just telling her frankly wasn't it.

"Come on, Jim. It can't have been nothing," Pam urged.

"He just wanted to know how much I had witnessed, and wanted to make sure you had a safe place to stay," Jim lied smoothly.

"Oh," Pam said as she opened the car door, satisfied with his answer and nodding.

"Told you it was nothing," Jim teased.

Pam smiled. "Hey Jim?"

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking, and I should probably talk to my mom about all this. I would've done it sooner, but things have been a bit crazy."

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea. Do you want me to run some errands and give you some time-"

"No." Pam interrupted. "I want you to stay."

"As long as you want me around, Beasley."

* * *

Jim dropped his keys in the fishbowl he left in the doorway of his apartment, and hung his and Pam's coats on the rack he had tucked away in a corner. Pam pulled her furry boots off and placed them on the mat.

"Neither of us ever ate this morning, and it's almost 1:30 now. We should probably eat."

"Can we eat after I call my mom? I'm already nervous, and I'd really prefer not to puke all over your apartment." Pam implored.

Jim chuckled. "Yeah, we can eat in a little bit. What sounds good to you?"

"A bit of salad doesn't sound bad."

"Sounds good," Jim said. As long as there was meat in the salad, that was enough for Pam to eat and Jim to feel like she'd put enough in her body.

Swallowing, Pam looked up at Jim. "I'm going to call her now." Pam said, reaching to hold his hand.

"Right here," Jim reminded her, sliding next to her, into one of the stools that stood in front of his kitchen counter. Jim couldn't hear the phone ringing, but he could tell that Pam was nervous.

"Hey, Mum?" Pam said nervously. "I'm doing alright, how about you?" Pam listened intently. "Dad _never _organizes the basement the way you like it, you should know that by now!" Pam teased. "Yeah, um. I actually called you because I wanted to tell you something. I.. um… Mom, I left Roy. He was abusive and terrible and I had to go. I'm with Jim now." Pam said, rushing her words to try and stop the tears, while Jim squeezed her hand and rubbed her back, "No, No. I'm not _with _Jim, I'm staying with Jim." After a short pause, Pam said. "We were on the phone and Roy went on a rampage, and Jim heard it all and came to my rescue," Pam said, a little more calm. "Mom, I can't come home. I have a job in Scranton. Roy would just follow me there." Pam said, and Jim could tell that the idea of Roy following her anywhere made her nervous. "Yeah, Jim and I went to the police office today." Pam was calmer now, just answering her mothers questions. "Well, he's the one who kind of pushed me to go. I would still be with Roy if it wasn't for him." There was a short pause. "Mom! I can't. Well yes, Mom. I do. Of course I do. But I can't do that right now." Jim now had no clue what they were talking about. "It wouldn't be right!" Pam was listening to her mother, while Jim still sat next to Pam, confused. "Alright, Mom. Yeah. I love you. Thank you. I'll call you in a few days." Pam said before hanging up, a bit calmer and more self-assured after listening to what her Mom had to say.

"You okay?" Jim asked.

"Yeah, Pam said.

"You ready to eat lunch?"

"Sure," she agreed, going to the fridge to get stuff for the salad. Jim pulled out some grilled chicken, and Pam didn't protest.

It took her a bit of time to locate the knife and the cutting board, as Jim's apartment was still new to her, and he didn't seem to have a very efficient organizational system, but Pam busied herself by cutting vegetables and putting them in a large bowl, while Jim pulled other odds and ends out of the fridge, such as bacon bits and salad dressing.

"Jim, you know how you said you'd stay as long as I wanted you around?" Pam asked, turning away from her cutting board and nervously looking into his eyes.

"Yeah?" He responded, placing a bottle of russian dressing on the counter before reciprocating the eye contact.

"I don't ever want you to leave." She admitted, letting a sigh of relief go once she'd said it.

"Well then it looks like I'll be here for a while." Jim chuckled, a huge grin spread across his face, knowing what she was implying.

"I know I said it already, but I wasn't just saying it because of an adrenaline rush. I love you, Jim, and I'm sorry if that's uncomfortable for you, but-"

Jim cut her off with a kiss, pulling her face into his. Pam wasn't sure what was happening at first, but quickly eased into the kiss, letting her hands run through Jim's long hair. Jim leaned forward, placing his hands on Pam's hips. He eventually broke the kiss.

"I'm pretty comfortable with that," he said, kissing her again. "God, I love you, Beasley."


	9. Chapter 9

Pam smiled. She felt safe in Jim's arms, and she knew now that this is how love really felt. However, she couldn't help but be a little bit nervous. A lot had happened to her in the past few days, and Pam was beginning to feel like things were happening a bit too fast for her liking.

"Jim," Pam said softly.

"Yeah?" Jim asked, concerned, lifting her chin with two of his fingers so he could look into her eyes.

"We're going to have to take this...really slow." Pam said. "I can't handle getting right back into the real dating game just yet."

"That's fine," Jim said, moving to hold both her hands. "If we start moving too fast for you, you just let me know, okay?" Jim was lucky enough to have her now, he wasn't going to lose her because he wanted to rush things.

"Okay." Pam smiled. She should've expected that Jim would be so understanding, giving how compassionate he'd been over the past few days.

Just as quickly as their moment had started, she turned back to her vegetables, and Jim took two bowls out of a cabinet, tapping Pam on the hip as a wordless way of asking her to move so he could get silverware for both of them. She put salad in both of the bowls, giving Jim significantly more than she gave herself. When Pam wasn't looking, Jim managed to get half of a cubed chicken breast into her salad, as well as a decent portion of croutons.

"Ready to eat?" Jim asked, handing Pam the bowl once he had finished making additions to her salad.

"Let me just wash my hands."

"Didn't you wash your hands before you started cutting the vegetables?" Jim asked, confused.

"Yeah, but it was just something my dad always made me do as a kid, and it stuck." She answered as she rubbed a bit of soap between her hands at the kitchen sink. Jim tossed her a dishtowel and she wiped her hands dry before joining him at the counter to eat.

"Jim, can you pass the Italian?" Pam requested.

"Only if you can pass the bacon bits."

After completing the trade, Pam shook the bottle and poured it over her bowl, moving the lettuce around a bit before digging in. They ate in a comfortable silence, something Pam felt like she hadn't had in a long time. It was rejuvenating. Pam ate the majority of her salad, leaving a bit of chicken and a few croutons in the bowl. She got up to throw them away, and was surprised and a little proud when Jim didn't protest. She rinsed her bowl and silverware and put them in Jim's dishwasher.

"Here, are you done?" Pam said, extending a hand to take his bowl.

"I've got it," Jim said, standing up to help her.

"No, really. I've got it." Pam said, but her protests fell on a silent ear.

"You want to watch a movie?" Jim asked after cleaning his bowl.

"Sure, sounds fun."

"What do you want to watch?"

"You pick."

They went back and forth like that all day, Jim's first pick being "Die Hard," Pam's "Legally Blonde." Jim retaliated by picking "Fast and Furious," and Pam's final pick was "Les Mis." She, as a testament to what Jim was sure was the most boring movie in history, fell asleep before the movie was over. Jim had pulled the futon into a bed before the movie started, insisting that the most boring movie in history would surely put him to sleep. He ended up enjoying the movie, given the fact that Pam was okay with his teasing of the characters. Pam had fallen asleep on her bedrest pillow, which left her in a half sitting-up position. Chuckling to himself, Jim carefully got off the futon and picked Pam up bridal style, carrying her to his bedroom and placing her in the bed, pulling the comforter over her before returning to his bed on the futon. He flicked the TV off and nestled himself into his pillow, not taking long to drift off to sleep.

* * *

Jim was harshly awoken around three in the morning.

"Jim!" He heard Pam shriek.

"Pam," Jim said, coming to his senses. Realizing what was happening, he bolted out of bed. "Pam!" He yelled, rushing to his bedroom, grabbing the bat he kept near the futon in case Roy were ever to show up in the middle of the night, praising God that he had thought of it.

"Roy, I swear to God-" Jim started, swinging the door open and preparing to hit with the bat, but Pam was the only person in the room.

She was laying in bed, eyes still shut, but she was screaming and crying. Dropping the bat, Jim sat on the bed, attempting to wake her gently by placing a hand on her arm.

"Pam, Pam, Pam." He said softly. "I'm right here. Wake up. Wake up Pam, come on. I'm right here, it's just a bad dream."

Pam stirred, blinking tears from her red eyes, which widened when she saw Jim. She sat upright quickly and threw her arms around him.

"I thought you were dead, I thought he killed you," She cried into his shoulder, almost too hysterical for her to understand.

Jim shushed her softly, stroking the back of her head as he held her.

"Don't think about it. I'm here, I'm okay, you're okay." He reminded her.

"Jim, he was gonna kill you."

"Pam, sweetheart, it was just a dream, okay? I'll keep us both safe."

"He was going to kill you this morning!" Pam argued.

"He wasn't going to kill me. He would've gotten a few good hits in, definitely, but I would've lived. He's not going to kill me. I'm in it for the long haul."

Pam smiled weakly, lacing her fingers with his.

"Can I sleep on the floor next to the futon?"

"No, I have a cot in the closet. I'll put it next to this bed, and I'll sleep in here." Jim said.

He'd much rather she sleep in the futon, or he sleep in his bed with her, but the last thing he wanted to do right now was push her further than she wanted to go. As innocent as his intentions were, he wasn't about to disrespect her boundaries while she was this upset.

"You sure?" Pam said.

"Yup," Jim said, leaning forward and kissing Pam on the forehead briefly. "Try and go back to sleep, okay?"

"Okay," Pam said, leaning back and letting her head hit the pillow, pulling a few stray tears off her face with her fingers.

Jim clambered back in with the cot noisily, not that it mattered, as Pam was nowhere near "back to sleep." She watched him fumble with it, attempting to be quiet, and giggled audibly.

"Is this funny to you?" Jim said in a tone of mock disgust.

"Yes," Pam admitted, now laughing.

"Well, now you're leaving me to wipe that grin off your face," Jim said, leaning in to kiss her lips.

Jim stopped himself after a moment, not wanting to push Pam somewhere where she wasn't 's initial reaction was to protest, but as she relaxed a bit, she realized that the kiss was exactly. Jim was here. Jim was alive. Jim was hers. She was Jim's. It was the perfect reminder.


	10. Chapter 10

_Authors Note: _Sorry if things slow down a bit over the next couple of weeks. I have finals and such, but I'll be back!

* * *

Sunday morning at 10, both Jim and Pam were still in bed, although Jim was awake. When his phone rang, he rolled over to fetch it, unplugging it from the charger and picking it up although he didn't recognize the number.

"James Halpert?"

"Speaking," Jim said groggily.

"This is Scranton Police Officer Bouchard. We spoke the other day regarding abuse charges against Roy Anderson."

"Yes?" Jim asked, now alert.

"We went to 's apartment, and he has fled. Be extra careful, as we have no clue as to where he is headed, or is currently."

"Should I tell Pam?" Jim asked, her safety his first concern.

"If you two are going to be separated at any point, I'd say yes. Otherwise, I'd say there's no reason to worry her."

"Agreed. Thank you, Officer."

"We're working our hardest. We'll call with any updates."

"Hope to talk to you soon, then."

Jim hung up the phone and was startled by Pam's voice.

"Should you tell me what?" She requested, standing in the doorframe of the hallway that connected the living room to the bedroom.

"It's not important."

"Well, it's important enough that someone called you at 10 in the morning on a Sunday, so…" Pam said, a hint of aggression in your tone.

"Well, Pam, the officer and I agreed that you didn't need to know, so there's no need to tell you." Jim responded, a bit more sassy than Pam would've expected from him.

"So it _was_ the police?" She asked quickly, grateful for Jim's momentary slip-up.

"Yes, Pam. It was the police. Is that what you want?"

"If it has to do with the case, I have a right to know!"

"Pam." Jim pleaded, knowing she was right, but also knowing it would make her nervous to hear the new development.

"Please," Pam begged.

"Come here, sit down." Jim said, sitting indian-style on the futon and inviting her to join him by patting the space next to him.

Pam obliged, sitting down and tucking her legs in, anxious for Jim to tell her whatever it was he had to say.

"Roy's… um. Roy's gone, Pam. He fled his apartment." Jim said.

"Well that's a good thing, right?" Pam said excitedly.

"Maybe," Jim said, wanting for her sake to be hopeful. "But Pam, that means we have no clue where he is. He could still be around."

"Oh," Pam said, suddenly realizing the foolishness of her praise, and slumping her shoulders, folding into herself.

"But don't worry about it, okay? We're going to be together so much that you'll be sick of me. I won't let him hurt you anymore."

"Jim, you keep saying that, but what about when I go to do something on my own? And he's already hurt you."

"Pam, my hand got a little roughed up. That's nothing compared to what he did to you. Soon, he'll be behind bars and you'll be able to do stuff on your own again, okay?" he consoled, kissing the top of her head.

"How do you know it'll be soon?" she questioned.

"Because Roy's not going to just flee and start a new life. They'll catch him."

"You think so?"

"I'm certain of it."

* * *

Pam yawned and looked at the clock at the lower right hand corner of her computer monitor at the reception desk. 2:08. This was a lull time for Pam, because she had already delivered any lunch-meeting debrief faxes and messages, but it was too early in the afternoon for Michael to start receiving end-of-the-day debriefs. She decided to go up and make herself a cup of tea in the kitchen. She hadn't heard him get up, so when Dwight was behind her in the kitchen, she jumped.

"Gosh, Dwight. You scared me," she said, placing a hand over her heart as she took a breath.

"Meet me in the hallway at 2:17 exactly." he said in typical Dwight fashion, grabbing a handful of peanuts and leaving.

Pam simply nodded, wondering what treat Dwight could have in store for her today. She brought her tea back to her desk and entertained herself with a game of freecell. She saw Dwight leave for the hallway at quarter past two, and he winked at her as he passed. She wondered why it was so important for her to meet him there at 2:17 exactly, if he was going to leave two minutes early, but decided not to question it. Closing her game of freecell, she wordlessly left for the hallway, but was spotted by Jim.

"Where are you going?" He asked, trying to sound casual.

"Just for a walk," she responded.

"You want some company?"

"Actually, I'm meeting up with Darryl from the warehouse."

"Oh," Jim said, surprised, but trusting Pam, who didn't want to divulge Dwight's apparently very secretive meeting.

She found Dwight around the corner by the staircase.

"What's up, Dwight?" Pam asked, glad for the break in the work day, even if it was just a moment of Dwight's insanity.

"As I'm sure you have heard by now, I am a sheriff's deputy."

"A volunteer sheriff's deputy on the weekends, yup." Pam corrected, smiling to herself.

"Technicalities." Dwight said. "Anyway, this weekend I was called to investigate and potentially arrest a young man who was involved in an abuse case. He had fled the scene."

Putting the pieces together, Pam nodded. "Oh," she said.

"Because of confidentiality agreements, I would not be able to tell the victim of the abuse, should I know her, that I think she is a strong, amazing woman, and that I will do everything in my power to bring the person who had done this to her to justice. I would also not be able to tell her that she is always safe in her workplace, and that I would do anything to protect her."

"Thank you, Dwight." Pam said, almost crying at the touching display of emotion from her normally stoic co-worker.

"You have no reason to thank me. I was simply venting work struggles to a friend. It's a common component of companionship, or so I hear."

Pam smiled to herself. Typical Dwight. Standing on her tip toes, she put her arms around Dwight's neck, pulling him into a hug that he reluctantly returned.

"Very well. Return to your post." Dwight said when the hug was finished.

"You coming?" Pam said when she realized Dwight wasn't following her.

"In two minutes." Dwight answered.

Pam simply laughed as she turned the corner back into the office, wiping a tear from her eye.


	11. Chapter 11

Jim looked up when Pam sat back down at her desk, noticing the redness in her eyes. He panicked a bit as he wondered what could have happened. He couldn't see any physical harm, and Jim had to believe that she hadn't seen Roy. Roy wouldn't have sent her back in one piece. Jim knew that, and he was so frustrated that he had let her leave alone, because it could've been Roy. He was lucky that he got her back, but she was hurt. He'd promised he wouldn't let her get hurt anymore, and she'd been hurt.

"Hey, Pam. Your eyes look a little red, probably seasonal allergies or whatever. I have some eye drops down in my car, do you want to come get them with me?" He said, not directly addressing the issue, as they had fairly nosey co-workers who were, more likely than not, listening to their conversation while they pretended to send out emails or complete sales reports.

"No, I think I'll be fine. Thank you anyways, Jim." Pam said plainly.

"Do you think you'll be fine or do you know you'll be fine? Because I know I would feel better if you just took the eye drops." Jim said, trying to express with his tone that this was a non optional trip.

"I guess if you're that concerned with me straining my eyes, I'll take the eye drops." Pam said, a bit aggravated, but trying not to show it.

"Great." Jim said, opening the door for her as they left the office. "We actually have to go to my car, so people in the office don't think we're having a secret rendezvous or something," Jim said as they walked towards the elevator. "But what happened? Why are you crying? Did Roy have Darryl say something to you? I swear to God, I will go to the warehouse right now-"

"Jim." Pam interrupted, pressing the ground floor button once they were inside the elevator. "I wasn't with Darryl."

"You were alone? Pam, please don't do that again. That makes me so nervous. Pam, I could lose you."

"Jim!" Pam interrupted again.

"Sorry," Jim said, realizing that he wasn't actually giving her a chance to tell him what happened.

"I was with Dwight."

"Oh?" Jim asked as they exited the elevator and the building, a bit confused about why she hadn't just told him. If she was with Dwight, why was she crying? Sure, Dwight could be rude and painfully awkward, but certainly not tear-producingly so. "

"He knows about Roy. Volunteer Sheriff's deputy and all." Pam said nonchalantly.

"Oh, God, Pam. Are you okay?" Jim asked, placing a hand on her upper arm.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Did he say anything to you?" Jim asked before reaching into his car to find the bottle of eyedrops and handing it to her.

"I don't actually need eye drops, Jim." Pam said, shaking her head.

"I know, just pretend to take them in case someone's watching from the window."

"Why would someone be watching from the window?"

"Pam, we watch people from that window all the time."

"Touche," She said, taking the eye drop and miming putting them in her eyes.

"So, did he say anything to you?" Jim asked again as she did so.

"Was that convincing?" Pam asked, handing him back the small bottle of liquid.

"Stop avoiding the question, Beasley."

"Well of course he said something," Pam said, looking at Jim like he was crazy. "It was actually really sweet, though. It's really not a big deal." Pam said as they walked back inside.

"You sure? Jim asked as they stepped into the elevator.

"I'm sure." Pam confirmed, nodding her head as the elevator door closed.

* * *

When the clock striking five signified the end of the work day, Jim handed Pam her coat and they headed down to his car.

"So, what sounds good for dinner?" Jim asked as they got into the car.

Pam thought for a moment. "I'm not really that hungry. You pick."

"Mac and Cheese sound good?"

"Sure." Pam said, not able to come up with a better suggestion.

A quiet moment passed as they left the parking lot of Dunder Mifflin, which Jim used to prepare himself for the conversation he was about to have with Pam. He had to do what was best for her, even if it was hard.

"Hey, Pam?" Jim started.

"Yeah?" Pam asked, looking up from the compact she had begun to fuss with.

"Have you maybe considered seeing a counselor? You've been through a lot, and I want to help as much as I can, but I don't have a degree in that stuff."

"Jim, I can't do that."

"You can't, or you won't? I just want what's best for you, Pam. I want you to be able to leave all of this behind you."

"Jim, it's hard enough for me to share this part of my life with you, there's no way I'd be able to share it with a stranger."

"Just think about it? Please?" Jim implored of Pam.

"I'll think about it." Pam agreed.

If she thought she could do it, she would. She felt like having to tell a therapist would only bring up the negative emotions she preferred not to think about. She was with Jim now, and she was happy. Sure, she and Jim weren't actually a couple yet, but when she was ready, they'd be that. She was nervous about Roy still being on the loose, but he'd get caught eventually. He had to be caught eventually.


	12. Chapter 12

The next day, Jim waited until it looked like he wasn't busy, and sent Dwight email, which simply read "URGENT MEETING. Hallway. Now." Dwight, upon reading the email, looked over to Jim, who pretended to be deeply absorbed with work. However, Dwight followed the instruction sent to him, and went to the hall outside of the office. Jim followed about a minute and a half after, while Pam was in the bathroom.

"You called an urgent meeting?" Dwight confirmed.

"Yeah, I needed to talk to you."

"About something urgent?"

"Nope, I just knew I couldn't get you to leave the office otherwise," Jim answered straightforwardly.

"What do you want, idiot?" Dwight asked, now a bit aggravated.

"Listen, I just wanted to thank you for defending Pam that day I wasn't in the office, and for talking to her the other day." Jim said, scuffing the ground with his shoe.

Dwight softened. "Simply doing the duty of a sheriff's deputy. But I wish I didn't have to do it for Pam."

"Yeah, me too." Jim agreed. "I'm just so afraid I'm going to lose her again."

"You won't. I promise you."

* * *

"Hey, Pam?" Jim asked, stepping over to reception.

"Yeah?" She asked, looking up from her computer.

"Can I take you out to dinner tonight?"

Pam was momentarily taken aback. "Um…sure." She responded, her uncertainty melting into a grin.

"Great...Then it's a date." He grinned back.

Pam sat back in her seat, still smiling. Although she and Jim now knew how they felt about each other, it still seemed unreal to her, knowing she and Jim had a shot at their happily ever after. She was racking her brain to think of what she'd wear. Jim let out a breath as he sat back down, not knowing why he'd been so nervous. The rest of the day passed painstakingly slow as they both anticipated their date.

"So, where do you want to go for dinner?" Jim asked as they walked down to the car at the conclusion of the work day.

"Italian sounds good."

"I know just the place." Jim said, unlocking the car so they could get in.

"Great," Pam smiled, buckling her seatbelt.

"I hope you don't think I'm being corny or anything. I just figured, if we're taking it slow, I want to do it right."

"I think it's sweet." Pam said.

Jim simply smiled, letting the positive energy flow for the rest of the ride back to Jim's apartment.

"Just give me a bit of time to get ready, okay?" Pam requested as Jim unlocked the door to his apartment.

"Sure. I'll make reservations for about an hour and a half from now?"

"Sounds good," Pam said, smiling as she trotted to Jim's room and opened the closet, thumbing through her half. Eventually, she decided on a simple blue dress with small white polka dots. She called out to let Jim know it was okay to come into his room, and proceeded to the adjoining bathroom, plugging in her straightener to let it heat up as she did her makeup, which only consisted of a bit of eyeshadow and a light liner, and a little lipstick. She then started to pull segments of her hair through the straightener, which ultimately left her hair still in loose waves. She put everything away, and went to meet Jim in the living room.

"You ready to go?" she asked, causing him to look up from the TV.

"Wow," Jim said, breathless.

"What?" Pam asked, confused.

"You look…" Jim paused for a moment, searching for the right words. "Stunning." He decided, finishing his sentence.

Pam felt a blush creep it's way up to her cheeks as she smiled coyly, noticing Jim's face of awe. He noticed Pam blushing and smiled.

"Getting cuter by the second, Beasley," Jim said, placing an arm around her as he walked her back to his car.

Pam smiled to herself as she walked down to the car, letting Jim open the passenger door for her before he got into the drivers seat. Her leg was jittering, although she knew she had no reason to be nervous.

"So, where are we going?" Pam asked.

"This little, family owned restaurant off of exit three. It's called Zorvino's."

"Wow, exit three isn't that far from the office or my old apartment. I'm surprised I've never heard of it before."

"It's kind of tucked away and quaint."

"That sounds really nice." Pam said, looking towards him and smiling.

"I thought you might like it," Jim smiled back. "We're here," Jim said after a few more minutes.

Jim was right. The small brick restaurant was at the end of a dead end street, and the active chimney and yellow light coming from the windows made the establishment seem intimate and warm. Jim placed an arm around Pam's waist as they walked in.

"We have a table for two reserved under the name Halpert," Jim said, addressing the hostess.

"Right this way, Mr. Halpert," the young italian woman said, leading Jim and Pam to a snug booth in the back.

"Thank you," Jim said as the hostess gave them their menus and brought them both glasses of red wine, then leaving them to themselves.

"This place is so cute," Pam said, flipping through her menu passively.

"I'm glad you like it."

Pam took a sip of her wine. "That's excellent. I like this place already."

"I didn't know you had such a taste for wine," Jim said, looking up from his menu.

"I took a wine tasting and pairing class in college."

"Really?" Jim asked, surprised.

"I needed the extracurricular credit, and the only other class that wasn't full was intro to puppetry."

Jim laughed. "What kind of school did you go to?" he asked in disbelief of these outrageous sounding courses.

"University of Scranton has a lot more to offer than you thought," Pam teased. "Where did you go?" She asked. She knew he grew up in Newton, Massachusetts, but she never had actually heard where he went to school.

"Temple University in Philly. I think the weirdest class there was History of the Beatles. And that class wasn't weird. It was awesome. Just like the Beatles."

Pam was about to ask Jim another question, but their waiter came over.

"Are you two ready to order?" He asked.

"I'll have the fettuccine with parsley almond pesto." Pam said.

"I'll have the perciatelli with meat sauce and fontina." Jim responded.

"Thank you," Pam said, handing the waiter her menu, Jim following suit.

Likely because they were the only customers in the restaurant, their food was delivered to them more quickly than either of them would've expected.

"This smells _so_ good," Jim said, before taking a bite.

"I never knew you were so passionate about italian food," Pam teased.

"Oh, yeah. I'm really passionate about italian food. In fact, I'm in love with italian food."

She chuckled. They both looked down at the table when they felt a phone vibrating. It was Pam's. She didn't recognize the number, but picked it up anyways, still laughing as she answered it.

"Hello?" She chirped.

"What's so funny, Pammy?"

The chuckle stopped instantly, all the color draining from her face. Pam didn't have to say anything for Jim to know who was on the other line.

"Pam, hang up the phone." Jim said.

"Roy," Pam said weakly, almost a whisper.


	13. Chapter 13

"I don't go away that easy, Pammy."

Pam grimaced. She knew she should hang up, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. She felt Jim's eyes on her and looked at her lap ashamedly. Jim tried desperately to make eye contact with her, wanting to keep her calm and diffuse the situation.

"Roy, why are you calling me?" Pam said, her attempts at remaining calm making her voice come out as a monotone.

"Just wondering when my little bitch of a girlfriend is going to get her fat, slutty ass home to Daddy."

"I'm not your girlfriend."

"Fine. My bitch of a slutty fat-ass fiance. Is that better, baby?" The term of endearment sounded like nails on a chalkboard coming out of his mouth.

"No." Pam said. "I'm not yours anymore."

"You've got welts on your back that would tell me otherwise," Roy countered snarkily.

"You don't get to control me like that anymore." Pam said, a bit weaker now.

"Don't _get _to? Oh, Pammy, you act like I want to. You _need _me, Pammy. You know how many stupid decisions I've kept you from making? You wanted to go to art school with your stupid little sketches, and who told you to keep your steady job? I did. You're pathetic, Pam."

Because of the intimacy of the booth and the volume of Roy's voice, Jim could hear everything Roy had said. Jim reached across the table to grab Pam's hand, rubbing circles over the back of her palm with his thumb.

"Pam, listen to me. None of that is true, okay? You're fine, Pam. I'm right here, he doesn't know where we are. Just hang up the phone, okay?"

Pam looked up at him, her eyes wide with a childlike fear. She _knew _she was being irrational. She _knew _Jim was right. So why was it so much easier to believe Roy? She pulled the phone away from her face, almost unaware that she was doing it, and ended the call, unable to hear anything else and wonder if it was also true.

"Pam, are you okay?" Jim asked, squeezing her hand and trying to get her to make eye contact with him.

"I'm, um… Can you take me home?" Pam asked, not looking him in the eye.

"Yeah, let's go." Jim said, putting a fifty dollar bill on the table and scooting out of the booth, handing Pam her jacket as she got up and hurriedly escorting her out of the restaurant, to the car. They sat in the parking lot for a moment before either of them said anything.

"Pam, can I see your phone? I'm going to call the police, and I want to give them the number he called from."

Pam just nodded, handing him the phone without really looking at him. Jim didn't know what to do about her despondency. He didn't want to smother her if she was upset, but he didn't want to let her simmer in her emotions either. Deciding to deal with one problem at a time, he called Officer Bouchard from his cell phone, Pam's in his other hand with the number Roy had called from on the screen.

"Scranton Officer Bouchard speaking."

"Hi Officer Bouchard, this is Jim Halpert," Jim said, a bit corybantic.

"Is everything alright?"

"We're both safe, but Roy just called Pam's phone. I have the number for you to run, so we can see where he's at right now?" Jim said, although it came out as a question.

"Okay, I'm ready. Where are you right now?"

Jim gave him the number and answered his question. "We're at Zorvino's restaurant."

"Stay there until I call you back with information. It should only be about few minutes."

"Thank you." Jim said, hanging up.

Jim turned to Pam, who was staring at her knees with an almost neutral expression on her face.

"Pam?" Jim said.

Pam turned to look at him, still emotionless. Her mouth was a straight line, and she looked like she was about to say something, but stopped herself.

"Pam, you know that none of what he said was true, right?"

Pam shifted her gaze away from him.

"Oh, Pam." Jim said, taking advantage of the low center console of his car to scoot towards her and gently put his arms around her. "Pam, not a word of that was true."

"Jim," Pam said softly into his shoulder.

"Yeah," Jim said, pulling away, but keeping his hands on her arms.

Pam was about to answer, when Jim's phone rang. "It's Officer Bouchard," he said.

"Take it," Pam told him.

"Hello?" Jim said.

"Hello, James. Officer Bouchard. That number is from a payphone in Scranton. We have sent a team to your apartment to clear the area before you return. For now, we think you'll be safest if you just stay put."

"Okay, thank you Officer." Jim said, hanging up the phone again.

"So?" Pam asked.

"Pam, everything is going to be okay, but Roy is still in Scranton."

Pam took a deep breath, looking at the ground again. "Can we sit in the back seat?"

"Okay," Jim responded, a little confused, but willing to do it if it made her more comfortable. They both got out of the car and into the back, and Pam scooted over to Jim, basically sitting herself in his lap. It felt safer to her. Understanding now, Jim put his arms around Pam's waist, and settled his chin on her shoulder. "Everything's fine. The police are going to make sure everything's safe at home, and then we can go home and pretend like nothing happened."

"Jim?" Pam interrupted.

"Yeah?" Jim said.

"I think you were right, and I think I should see a counselor." Pam admitted.

"I'm really happy you're going to do that Pam. I am so proud of you," Jim said, kissing Pam on the crown of her head. He hoped he wasn't making Pam uncomfortable, but he really was. Pam had overcome a lot in a short period of time, and she was constantly looking to continue overcoming. After a moment, Jim's phone buzzed again.

"You're good to go home. There's no evidence of a break-in."

"Thank you, Officer." Jim responded. Hanging up the phone, he looked at Pam. "Everything's okay at home. We can go." He smiled.

Pam smiled back, returning to the front seat for the ride home, which was filled by a much more comfortable silence.

"I'm gonna take a quick shower and wash my face and stuff," Pam said when they got out of the elevator.

"Go for it," Jim said, opening the door. Noticing something on the fridge, he walked over to it.

Reading it quickly, he turned around to make sure Pam was no longer in the room. He locked the door and drew all the curtains, reading it once more to make sure his eyes hadn't played a trick on him. It still read the same.

"_Be back soon. - R." _


	14. Chapter 14

Looking over his shoulder to make sure Pam wasn't around, Jim quickly dialed Officer Bouchard's number.

"James?" The officer said.

"Roy was in my apartment," Jim said in a harsh, almost desperate whisper, wanting to make sure Pam didn't hear.

"How do you know?"

"He left a note on my fridge." Jim said, almost in disbelief.

"The most likely scenario is that he somehow has a key to your apartment."

"I leave my spare under the mat," Jim realized, mentally chastising himself for his careless mistake.

"Just change your locks as soon as possible, sir. Keep the note, as we'll collect it as a piece of evidence for the case."

"He said in the note that he was coming back." Jim told the officer urgently.

"Did the note say when?"

"No."

"We'll send a few police officers over there to watch the door. Deadbolt your apartment, and don't let anyone in unless they show you a police ID."

"Okay, thank you."

"Who was that?" Pam asked, emerging in her pajamas.

"Oh, just Officer Bouchard. He just wanted to see if we got home safe." Jim lied smoothly, sneaking a glance at the door to make sure it was locked. It was.

"Oh, okay."

"I'm just going to go wash my face and brush my teeth. You can pop a movie in or something, I'll be right back out." Jim said, taking long steps towards his bathroom, where he called a locksmith to change the locks on his house the next day while they were at work. He changed quickly before returning to find Pam on the futon, some Lifetime movie playing from the TV.

"Jim, why do you have the bat?" Pam laughed. Jim had brought it out of Pam's room, where he had left it last night.

"Oh, I.. um." Jim said, trying not to reveal anything. "I just figured we didn't need you tripping on it in the middle of the night or anything."

"Yeah, good point." Pam giggled. "Come sit," she continued, patting the area next to her on the futon.

Jim complied, but Pam could tell that something wasn't right. He was distant, dazed, out of focus.

"Jim, what's wrong? Are you upset because tonight didn't go like you wanted? I had a great time, really." After a pause she continued. "Unless you didn't have a great time. Which is totally fine, it's not like-"

"No, no, Pam. That's not it at all," Jim reassured her, taking her hands in his own. "I really enjoyed it, but I'm pretty sure the rule is that the guy has to wait three days to call and ask for a second date." Jim teased.

"Wow, you've done your research. I'm impressed." Pam bantered.

"I'm going all in for this," Jim smiled, relaxing a bit, putting his arm around her shoulders.

Pam let her head tilt to the side and rest on Jim's shoulder, taking a deep breath as she relaxed into his chest. They hardly had any time to appreciate this, however, before Jim's phone began to vibrate in pocket.

"Who is it?" Pam asked, wondering if it could be news about Roy.

"Just my mom. I'll be right back." Jim said, getting up and excusing himself to his room.

"Hello?" Jim said.

"James, this is officer Bouchard. Roy showed up, and he's now involved in a car chase with a few of our officers. We'll let you know how it goes. It looks like this could be it."

A wave of relief washed over Jim. "Thank you, officer!" Jim said, hanging up the phone and rushing back out to Pam.

"Pam!" Jim said excitedly.

"Yeah?" Pam asked, looking up at him.

"That was Officer Bouchard!"

"You said it was your mom?" Pam asked, confused.

"Pam, they found Roy! They're pursuing him right now! This could be it!"

"Oh my God, oh my God!" Pam said, getting up and leaping into Jim's arms, wrapping her legs around his torso and his arms around his neck. Jim spun the two of them around, pulling her into a deeper hug, both of them laughing as he did so. Jim put Pam down after a moment, and she playfully hit his chest.

"Ow!" Jim said, more out of surprise than pain.

"You liar! You said that was your mom." She said, though she was still smiling.

"I didn't want to worry you!" Jim defended himself.

"Whatever, I'm too happy right now to be mad at you." Pam laughed.

Soon, Jim's phone rang again, and Jim and Pam both lunged for it.

"My phone!" Jim reminded her teasingly, picking it up. "Hello?"

"James, this is Officer Bouchard."

"Yup," Jim said, eager to hear the good news.

"We weren't able to catch Roy today. He took his truck into a densely wooded area, and our squad cars weren't able to keep up. We have officers and dogs searching, and we've got much more information now than we did before, but this isn't over tonight."

"Ugh, you're kidding." Jim said, shoulders drooping to match his disappointed tone. "Well, do you think we're safe, at least?"

"Definitely. We drove him out of Scranton, into New York. We don't think he'll head back this way so soon."

"Okay. Thank you Officer."

"Sorry, son. We're trying our best. Good night."

"Good night."

Jim hung up his phone and looked around to find Pam seated on the futon, staring at her lap, tears pouring from her face and onto her plaid pajama pants, darkening the fabric. He rushed to her side wordlessly, wrapping her arms around her and allowing her to cry.

"God, I'm so stupid," Pam choked out.

"Hey, hey, hey." Jim said, breaking the hug to put his hands on her shoulders. "You are _not _stupid. I shouldn't have said anything to you until I knew exactly what was going on. You had every right to get your hopes up."

"No, Jim you _should've _told me. We're in this together, and I deserve to know exactly what's going on, okay? Clearly they're not catching Roy tonight, and if this is going to continue, I need to know what's going on, when it's going on."

"You're right, Pam." Jim said. He didn't like that she was right, and would prefer to just shelter her from everything to do with Roy until he was arrested, but she had a right to know. He recapped what Officer Bouchard had told him for Pam.

"Why was he headed here now? I thought they cleared your apartment."

"Yeah, Pam… They came, and there was no evidence of a break-in, but he was kind enough to leave us a note on the fridge," Jim explained, sarcasm heavy in the second half of his sentence. "We think he got our key from under the mat, so I called a locksmith to change the locks tomorrow while we're at work."

"We should call a therapist during work tomorrow, too." Pam noted.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Jim agreed.

"Well, we're safe for tonight," Pam smiled softly.

"And hopefully for a while. They'll catch him, Pam."

"I know they will."


	15. Chapter 15

Pam's leg jittered nervously as she sat in the dimly-lit waiting room of her therapist's office, minutes away from her first session. She placed a hand on Jim's thigh to comfort herself, and to stop herself from biting her nails.

"Right here, Beasley." He whispered, leaning in closer to her ear, leaving an almost undetectable kiss on her temple.

"Pamela Beasley?" A brunette woman with a kind-looking face and a petite frame called.

"I'll be right out here. You can do it." Jim whispered to Pam before she followed the woman into her office.

"Hi, I'm Camryn Lelivre," she said after shutting the door.

"Nice to meet you," Pam said, shaking the woman's hand.

"You as well," Camryn said, inviting Pam to take a seat in one of the three cushioned chairs that lined the wall of the small office. "Okay, let's get started. Why do you think you're here?" Camryn asked, smiling at Pam supportively.

"Well, I recently got out of an abusive relationship, and the person I'm staying with and I agreed that it wasn't healthy for me to harbor all of the emotions that came with that."

"Was that the person you were staying with out in the hall?"

"Yeah," Pam smiled.

"What's his name?" Camryn asked curiously.

"Jim," Pam answered.

"How do you know Jim?"

"Work," Pam answered again.

"Well, you're closer than just co-workers, I imagine. How did Jim find out?"

"Um, we were on the phone when Roy went on a bit of a rampage, and Jim heard all of it, so he came to get me, and I've been staying with him since then."

"How long has that been, then?"

"Gosh, it has to be about a month, a month and a half." Pam responded, a bit surprised.

"So you and Jim are very close, then."

"Yeah, though we're in a bit of a weird place right now." Pam confessed, a little bit shocked with herself for revealing that. Camryn was very easy to talk to, which she supposed was good, considering her profession.

"Why is that?" Camryn asked, sounding genuinely interested in Pam and her problems.

"We both love each other. I can't speak for Jim, but I love him so much, but we're taking it slow, and I don't think either of us really knows what that means. We've only been on a few dates at this point."

"You say _"but"_ you're taking it slow. Why take it slow if you don't want to?"

"Um... I guess... just out of respect. Roy and I were together for so long, it would be wrong of me to jump back into the dating world so quickly."

"I think it would be appropriate for you to see someone else. It's important for you to realize that you don't owe Roy anything, especially not your happiness."

Pam nodded, considering this.

"I'm going to ask you a bit of a heavy question now, so it's okay if it takes you a bit of time to answer. Pam, what do you think was your lowest point?"

After a moment, Pam answered. "The night Roy proposed to me."

"Why is that?"

"I said no at first. I was going to get out of Scranton, away from Roy, and go to art school. I was in the middle of telling Roy about it,and he interrupted me to propose. He didn't even really propose. He just kind of handed me the ring, so I handed it back, and he got so angry. He threw it across the room and started yelling, talking about how ungrateful and stupid I was. Then he threw me on the ground. My blood stained the carpet. He started kicking and belting me, until finally I said yes. I thought I loved him, but I also knew I only said yes to make it stop. He went to the bar right after, and I just stayed on the ground, bleeding, sobbing, and writhing in pain, groping around for the stupid ring."

"If you could say anything to that version of yourself, the version of yourself that we're leaving behind, in order to find a new self outside of the old relationship, what would you say?"

Pam thought for a moment, chewing her lip. "Be brave. Trust yourself. Love yourself. Conquer your fears. Go after what you want, and act fast, because life just isn't that long."

"That's very wise of you. Do you think anything would be different if you were following that advice right now?"

"Yes," Pam smiled.

"Alright, well, we're out of time for today, but we had a great first session, and I think you have potential for a lot of growth with the help of counseling. Why don't you start following that advice you told me about, and we'll talk in two weeks about what that changes for you?"

"That sounds great," Pam smiled. "Thank you," Pam said, leaving Camryn in the small office. She walked quickly down the short corridor that led to the waiting room, where Jim was the only person sitting.

"You ready to go?" Jim asked, standing up.

Pam responded by guiding his face down to hers to kiss his lips, passionately and fully, with the love that had been building for Jim since he started working at Dunder Mifflin. After a moment that was probably too long to be publicly appropriate, Pam broke the kiss, letting Jim's hands stay on her waist as she moved back down from standing on her tiptoes.

"I think you should be my boyfriend and I should be your girlfriend and we should stop worrying about Roy all the time. I love you, let's focus on that, okay?" Pam said in one breathless huff.

Jim smiled. "God, Pam, you don't know how long I've been waiting for that," he said, kissing her again. "Pam, are you sure this is what you want?" Jim asked, looking down at her.

"Absolutely. You've got to go after what you want, right? Life is too short to spend another second not being yours."

"Forever, then?"

"Forever."


	16. Chapter 16

**Authors Note: Hey y'all! Sorry about the wait for this one, just got home from a trip that prevented me from posting. **

* * *

"Hey, Pam, so did you want to-" Jim asked, leaning over the reception desk to talk to Pam.

"No. Jim, can't you just do it?" Pam begged.

"You know, Pam, I've seen you go through a lot of difficult stuff recently, I didn't think getting forms from Toby saying that we're not going to sue the company if we break up would be that hard," Jim teased good-naturedly. They had been dating for about a month now, and decided it was time to notify corporate.

"He creeps me out! I'm pretty sure he has a crush on me."

"Can't blame him. Come on, it'll be fine. I'll be with you the whole time. He won't try anything with me in the room."

"Fine," Pam sighed, holding out the word as she stood, walking with Jim to the annex.

As they passed through the kitchen, Jim noticed Pam tucking a section of hair behind her ear, as was a nervous habit of hers. He laced his fingers and gave a gentle, supportive squeeze.

"Right here, Beasley." Jim reminded her.

"As always." She smiled.

"Always." He smiled back, squeezing her hand again as they approached Toby's desk.

"Hey, Um...Toby?" Jim attempted to interrupt.

"Oh, hey you guys. Take a seat," he said, gesturing to the seats on either side of the cubicle. They hadn't come out to the office as "in a relationship" yet, and apparently Toby hadn't noticed them holding hands. "Pam, did you want to talk-"

"Yes, actually-"

"Pam, if this is about Roy," Pam tensed up, but the uncomfortable topic was only part of the reason why. Toby had rolled his his chair over to the half of the cubicle Pam was in, and placed a hand on her thigh, just before the hem of her skirt, and was rubbing his thumb in circles over her nylons. Pam tried to pull away without saying anything, hoping he would just back off, but Jim was quick to speak, trying to remain calm and give Toby the benefit of the doubt.

"Toby, I think you should give Pam a little space, and _actually, _we were just here to get some paperwork, so-"

"Jim, we're talking here, why don't just leave us alone." Toby said, leaning in closer to Pam, who scrunched her eyes closed and attempted to push her chair away.

"No, why don't you just leave _her_ alone!" Jim said angrily, getting out of his own chair and pulling Toby away from Pam by his shoulder. "Come on, Pam." Jim said, helping Pam up and walking her straight out of the office and to the stairwell. "You okay?" Jim asked once they were out of sight of their co-workers.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Pam said, looking down, and pinching the bridge of her nose with one hand and waving dismissively with the other.

"You sure?" Jim asked, placing his hands on Pam's upper arms and attempting to make eye contact with her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Really, it's stupid." Pam said, trying in vain to take a deep, cleansing breath.

"Pam, sweetheart, you need to breathe, okay?" He said, noticing she was hyperventilating and grasped her hands. "Just look at me. You're right here. It's just you and me, on the stairwell. Nobody's going to hurt you. You're fine." Jim reassured her, helping her sit down and rubbing her back until she calmed down. "There you go. You're okay. Now, what's so stupid?" Jim asked, concerned.

"Just how panicked I get over these things," Pam shook her head. "It really wasn't that big a deal,"

"Pam, if it made you this uncomfortable, it's a big deal. I've got half a mind to call David Wallace right now. It's like, a major part of Toby's job to _prevent _that, the asshole." Jim balled his hands into fists and put the sides of his hands onto a nearby wall, sighing in frustration. "Do you want to go home?" Jim asked, turning back to Pam.

"No, I'm fine." Pam assured him.

"You sure? You don't have to go back in there if it's going to be uncomfortable for you."

"I can't run from things that make me uncomfortable forever. It's past 3 now, I'll make it," Pam said.

"Okay, I'll call David when we get back in there," Jim said.

"No," Pam objected.

"What?" Jim questioned, a bit shocked.

"Don't call David, Toby'll lose his job."

"Yeah, Pam. That's kind of the point. He pretty much groped you."

"Jim," Pam pleaded.

"Pam." Jim said firmly.

"He's just lonely. I feel bad for him."

"Pam, I don't care how lonely he is, he was on top of you."

"Jim, I doubt it'll happen again, especially with the way you pulled him off of me. If it happens again, you can call the police and I promise not to get in the way."

"Pam, do you really want to give Toby the opportunity to do that again? What if I'm not here to protect you?" Jim said, sounding very upset by the last sentence.

"Oh, Jim." Pam said, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his lips reassuringly. "Just trust me on this one, okay?"

* * *

The rest of the day passed with an awkward aura. Although only Jim, Pam, and Toby knew exactly what happened in the annex, as Ryan and Kelly were out for lunch, everyone heard the yelling, and saw Jim and Pam leave the office, only to return a few minutes later. Although it was awkward, it passed, and Jim and Pam were now eating dinner and watching some Disney cartoon movie that came on at 8pm.

"God, is it super lame that I'm so tired?" Pam asked at 9:30, when the movie was over.

"Nah, I'm tired too. It was a long day." Jim said, yawning.

"I think I'll head to bed." Pam said.

"Okay," Jim answered, stretching his arms out when she got up.

"You want to come?" Pam asked nonchalantly.

"Sure," Jim answered just as casually, though he knew this was a big step for Pam. He snaked his fingers in hers as they walked to the bedroom, and returned to the same position they had been in on the couch, with Pam pulled in against Jim's chest, his arms around her waist. Pam fell asleep first, not lying about being tired, and Jim's breathing soon matched her own, falling asleep with a smile on his face.


	17. Chapter 17

Jim sat in the small waiting room outside Pam's therapist's office, entertaining himself with a game of tetris while Pam had her session. They had been going every other week, and this was Pam's fourth session, and Jim and Pam's two-month anniversary. It was early Saturday afternoon, and Jim had a romantic evening planned for the two of them, but she had no idea yet. When Pam emerged from the corridor and back into the waiting room, Jim put his phone in his pocket and stood up.

"You ready to go?" Jim asked, smiling.

"Yeah," Pam smiled back coyly, letting him lead the way to the car.

"How was it?" Jim asked.

"Good," Pam answered, nodding.

That was about as much as they ever talked about Pam's therapy. Jim never pressed, as he respected that Pam was sharing a lot of private memories and thoughts with her therapist. He certainly wouldn't object to Pam opening up to him about these things, but he didn't want to make her uncomfortable by asking her.

"So, I have a bit of a surprise for tonight."

"Oh?" Pam asked curiously. "What's the occasion?"

"Our two-month anniversary."

"You're too sweet." Pam smiled, looking over at him while he drove.

"I blame that awesome-smelling soap you leave in the shower."

"The cupcake one?"

"Don't call it cupcake. It severely hurts my masculinity." Jim said, holding a hand over his heart in mock offense. "I just have to get some stuff ready really quick back at the apartment," Jim explained.

"What should I wear?" Pam asked.

"Well, I think you'll look beautiful no matter what you pick, but we aren't going anywhere fancy." Jim said.

"Smooth," Pam commented, leaning over to peck him on the cheek.

"How dare you. I am driving. Have you no concern for our safety?"

"Wow, you have really got that transition between sweet and sarcastic down." Pam teased.

"One of my many talents." He agreed as he pulled into the parking lot of his apartment complex. "I have to get some stuff ready in the apartment. You think you can steer clear of the kitchen and the living room for a few minutes?" Jim asked while they were in the elevator.

"Well yeah, I have to get ready," Pam said.

"Really, you look great." Jim told her.

"Do you want me out of your hair or not?" Pam teased.

"Only for a few minutes." Jim answered as he unlocked the door.

Once Pam was out of sight, Jim went to work. Most of what he needed was already in the car, but he did grab a few things from the fridge and put them in a reusable grocery bag.

"Pam, you ready?" Jim asked, going to their room and knocking on the door.

"Yeah, one second!" Pam called before swinging open the door.

"You look really nice," Jim said, noticing that she'd changed into a pink sweater and a pair of nude flats with gold accents.

"Thanks," Pam said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm being serious!" He said, chuckling a bit at her disbelief.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"You'll see." Jim said, taking her hand as they walked down to the car together.

* * *

"Jim, why are we at the office on a Saturday?" Pam asked with a hint of distaste in her tone as they pulled into the Dunder Mifflin parking area.

"What, you don't find taking people's messages super romantic?" Jim asked, obviously avoiding the question.

"How did you even get the keys?" Pam asked, confused.

"I might have stolen Dwight's keys and copied them during a lunch break." He admitted.

"Jim!" Pam said, slapping him on the arm playfully. "That's like, a felony."

"Well, do you find bad-boy Jim at least a little attractive?" Jim asked, opening the office door for her.

"I think I need to see the slicked-back hair and the leather jacket before I can make a concrete decision."

"And then we'll sing a rousing duet of "You're the One That I Want," from Grease?" Jim teased.

'Preferable, but not required." Pam asked, following Jim into the kitchen. "What is that?" Pam asked as Jim took two covered paper bowls out of the bag and put them in the microwave.

"Chicken and Gnocchi soup."

"My favorite!" Pam said gratefully. "Where did you even get this?"

"I made it," Jim said, giving her a look.

"Okay, Halpert." Pam said in disbelief.

"I swear to God, I made it this morning before you got up." Jim attested, smiling at her.

"Okay…so why did we need to use the office microwave to heat it up?" Pam asked, still a bit confused.

"Come on, Beasley," Jim said, teasing her for her impatience as he led her up to the roof, where two beanbags sat. "One time, Michael was in New York, and you watched the sunset from the window in his office, and you talked about how pretty it was over the skyline of the city, so I thought we could eat dinner and watch." Jim revealed, sitting down in the bean bag, and inviting her to sit next to him.

"Oh, Jim, it's perfect," Pam said, leaning over to kiss him. "I just wish I had my watercolors."

"I thought you might say that," Jim said, producing her art materials from the bag.

She smiled at him, knowing that she should've expected Jim to have their date planned out to the very last detail like this. Jim was quiet for a few minutes as he watched her paint. She started at the top of the thick page, with a pink that resembled the blush in her cheeks on a cool morning. The pink eventually faded to an orange glow, not unlike the color of her hair, which shimmered especially bright in the dimming shine of the setting sun. She started to paint the old brick buildings that poked through the Scranton skyline, sitting up straighter as she did so, as if she found strength in these buildings, which were ignored for years until the city recognized them as historical buildings, which now stood beautiful and strong against the rapidly changing hues of the sky, as Jim knew they always were supposed to. He was interrupted from his train of thought by Pam's inquisitive voice.

"How did you even get bean bags up here?"

"I emailed Creed pretending to be the leader of the Scranton Mafia," Jim said matter-of-factly.

"You did not!" Pam laughed, shocked, as she put the watercolor book down and picked up her soup, telling Jim how delicious it was.

"Ready for dessert? I have to warn you, it's much less fancy."

"Wow, Jim. I'm already super disappointed." Pam said sarcastically. "This date is completely ruined."

"Damn," Jim cursed, smiling as he handed her dessert. "Mixed berry yogurt?"

"Yes please!" Pam smiled, knowing Jim knew this was her favorite.

"Cheers," Jim smiled, clinking their plastic cups together before peeling the foil lid off. By the time they finished, the sun had set and stars twinkled in the sky as their main source of light.

"Jim, thank you so much for all of this."

"There's still one more surprise." Jim said, getting out of the beanbag and extending his hands to help her up as well. "Give me one second," Jim said, pulling a boom box out of the bag and turning it on, letting music spill out of the speakers, only loud enough for them to speak over it easily.

"Secondhand Serenade?" Pam asked teasingly.

"Don't pretend like you didn't tell me that Fall For You was your guilty pleasure romantic song, Beasley." Jim smiled, placing his hands on her hips. "Can I have this dance?" He whispered in her ear.

"Of course," Pam responded, placing her arms around his neck as he led her around the rooftop gently.

"You're pretty good at this, Halpert." Pam commented.

"You're not half-bad yourself, Beasley. " Jim looked down at Pam and flashed a smile she got lost in.

Ironically, this smile wasn't much different than any other smile Jim had ever given Pam. His eyes still twinkled in a way that would put the stars to shame, and his grin still created the most adorable set of dimples she'd ever seen. It was still the 100% authentic Jim smirk. Perhaps the only thing that was different was the sentence they both uttered at the same time.

"I'm in love with you." They managed to say at the same time as the music swelled to it's chorus.

They had said "I love you" before, but this was different, and they both knew it. People love lots of things. Pam loved mixed berry yogurt. Jim loved Pam's meatloaf. Pam loved to paint and draw. Jim loved baseball and basketball. They both loved playing pranks on Dwight. However, neither of them were in love with these things. Both smiling at the relief of having somehow not been the first to say it, Jim pulled Pam's face towards his own and kissed her, somehow now knowing with certainty that this would not be his last kiss. Pam placed her hands on the back of Jim's head, guiding him closer to her. They returned to their dance after a moment, though the music had long since ended.

"When did you know?" Pam asked.

"Do you remember my first day here? I walked up to my desk and introduced myself, and you said "I want you to remember these final moments before your desk mate, Dwight." That's when I knew."

Pam blushed, looking away from his face with a sheepish smile.

"God, you're adorable," Jim said, which only caused Pam to blush more. "How about you?"

"You're going to think I'm weird," Pam warned.

"Was I not supposed to think that already?"

Pam stepped on Jim's foot to give him his answer, smiling up at him to show that she recognized his sarcasm.

"You'd been working here for a bit, and I was just sitting at my desk, and you came up to me and you said "I have no reason for knowing this, but that yogurt you're about to eat is expired."

"That's the moment?"

"Yeah."

"Can we make it a different moment?"

"Nope."

"Okay."

They danced in silence for a few minutes longer, but Pam's yawns soon became too long and frequent to be ignored, so Jim carried her down to the car, leaving the bean bags on the roof, and managing to carry the bag while also carrying Pam. As a testament to her yawns, Pam fell asleep only a few minutes into the ride home.


	18. Chapter 18

The next morning, Pam woke up to a cup of warm Earl Gray on the nightstand, accompanied by a note, hopefully explaining why she was alone in bed.

_"Went to get the beanbags. It's supposed to rain today. Be back soon. -Jim" _

Pam stretched in the bed, extending her arms and curling her toes before reaching for the mug of tea and taking a sip. She slid out of bed and headed for the kitchen, looking around for Bisquick so she could have breakfast ready for the time Jim came back. She gathered her ingredients and put them all in a mixing bowl, humming "Fall for you" as she stirred the mixture, adding chocolate chips to the mix for him, and blueberries for her. Just as she began to pour the first cup of batter into the pan, she heard the unmistakable slamming of boots on carpet that she knew could only belong to Roy. Acting in a moment powered purely by adrenaline and fear, she rushed to the door, dead bolting it, and lunged for the bat, quickly assessing her options. She considered hiding in Jim's bedroom, but when Roy knocked the door down-and she knew he'd eventually knock the door down- she'd be cornered in his bedroom. If she hid under the island and he found her, she'd have no chance to defend herself, due to the awkward position. She couldn't leave through the window, she was too high up. No, her best choice was to prepare herself in the living room, knowing he'd eventually get in. Roy started furiously knocking on the door, and Pam jumped, but managed not to make any noise. Grabbing her phone, she silently went to the living room,sitting behind the couch and throwing a blanket over the back of it. She text Jim, too scared to go into any detail.

"_He's here. Call the police." _The text read.

"Halpert! I swear to God, I am going to kill you and Beasley both!" Roy called angrily through the door. Pam shuddered.

* * *

Jim woke up early Sunday morning, rolling over to check the news and weather on his blackberry. Seeing that it was going to rain, he groaned a bit, then quieting himself to make sure he didn't wake Pam. He got out of bed and combed his hair, not bothering to change out of his PJ's. He had planned on getting the bean bags off the roof during the day on Monday, but the impending storm led to a change of plans. He boiled water to make himself a cup of coffee while writing Pam a note to let her know where she was. Putting a tea bag in a mug of water for her, he left the note and tea at her bedside before heading out, smiling throughout the ride to Dunder Mifflin as he recalled their date the night before. He was coming down from the roof when he heard his phone buzz. Once he was safely back inside with the bean bags, he read the text, and nearly dropped the phone. He quickly dialed Officer Bouchard's number.

"Scranton Officer Bouchard," His familiar voice greeted in a manner much to pleasant for the circumstances.

"James Halpert," Jim said, knowing the officer only knew him by his real name. "Roy is at my apartment. I'm not there, but Pam is." He said urgently, already in his car and pulling out of the parking lot at a much-too-high speed, not bothering with the seatbelt.

"We'll be there as soon as possible." the officer answered quickly.

Jim managed to text Pam back. He knew he shouldn't do it while driving, but he needed to talk to her.

"_They're on the way. Almost home. You okay?"_

* * *

Pam could tell that Roy was trying to break down the door now; she could hear him throwing her body at it. The frail old lady who lived across the hall was certainly at church at ten on a the bat tighter, she felt her phone vibrate again, and she read Jim's text.

"_Fine for now. He's trying to break down the door."_

Just as she hit send, she heard the hinges of the door break, and it fell to the ground, granting Roy access to the apartment. She tensed behind the couch, trying to make as little noise as possible. When she heard him storm into the bedroom, she got up, and made it about halfway to the door.

"Leaving so soon, Pammy?" Roy said, suddenly sounding calmer, but in a completely frightening way.

"Roy-"

"Save it. Keep walking. I'm taking you home."

"No, Roy." Pam said firmly, though she felt like she could pass out from the fear.

"What did I tell you about back talking me?" Roy said, taking a few steps towards her.

"Roy, I am not your fiancee anymore. I am not your girlfriend anymore. Just let it go. Leave!" Pam said, not sure if she was commanding or begging.

"Not my fiancee? Oh Pammy, why don't you come home and we'll discuss that a bit further, I don't think you quite understand what's going on."

"No, Roy. Just go."

"I swear to God, Pam," Roy said, closing the space between them and finishing his sentence with a punch to her jaw. Pam dropped the bat in shock, and the metal clanged to the floor. She stumbled back a bit, and Roy shoved her to the ground before she could regain her footing and shake the dizziness away. Roy kicked at her for a few moments, and then rushed into the kitchen, yanking open drawers with reckless abandon.

"Oh, God. He's looking for a knife, he's going to kill me." Pam realized. She tried to scoot out of the apartment, but the door seemed so far away with her pounding head and the pain in her ribs. The glint of light on metal caught Pam's eye. Roy had found the knife that Jim used to cut meat on the rare occasions they had chicken or steak for dinner. She held her breath, as if doing so would stop the pain when Roy started back towards her. She squeezed her eyes shut, and heard a yell. Opening her eyes in shock, she saw Jim and Roy, both on the ground, Jim struggling to get the knife out of Roy's hand.

"Jim!" Pam yelled.

"Pam, go!" Jim said, not looking up from Roy.

Pam wouldn't leave like this. She wondered where the police were, but there wasn't time for dwelling on that right now. Acting on her feet, she grabbed the bat she'd dropped, and swung where she knew Roy would be the most sensitive. Roy instantly dropped the knife, moving his hands to cradle the affected area. Jim snatched the knife as it clanged to the ground, punching Roy in the jaw as soon as he had the knife out of his reach. Getting on his knees, Jim sunk one more punch in before leaning in close to Roy's face to whisper menacingly in his ear.

"I swear to God, if you ever try to touch her again, I will end you. You don't own her anymore." Jim got up and rushed over to Pam.

"Are you okay?" He asked, crouching next to her.

"Don't own her anymore? I beg to differ," Roy asked, stumbling to his feet, preparing to charge at Pam.

"No!" Pam yelled.

"Pam, go." Jim told her as he stood in front of her, preparing to take Roy down again if necessary.

"No, Jim! You don't own me either. Roy, do you understand that? No one owns me. That's why I'm gone. You didn't love me, Roy. You never did. You loved the part of me that didn't know any better than to just do whatever it was you told me to do. I never loved you, you never loved me, and we both know that. It's okay."

In a moment of unadulterated boldness and courage, Pam walked up to Roy, and placed the back of her hand on his bloody cheek, taking a moment to kiss his lips. She knew it was safe, as his expressions had softened. The police burst in and arrested Roy just as she was backing away.

"It's about damn time!" Jim said, wrapping a protective arm around Pam.

"Jim, it's okay. We're both here, and we're both going to be okay."

"Are you okay?" Jim asked, and before Pam could answer, a police officer walked over and asked the same question.

"I'm fine. Just a few bruised ribs." Pam answered both of them.

"Ma'am we have an ambulance downstairs, but it's your choice as to whether or not you'd like to go to the hospital."

"I'm fine," Pam answered.

"Pam, I think you should go," Jim said, trying to tell her that he didn't really feel like it was an option.

"Jim, I'm fine."

"Yeah, I'll drive her there myself." Jim told the officer, who then let them be.

"Jim!" Pam protested.

"Pam, if you're fine, you're fine, but just in case you're not, I think we should go to the hospital. Please? It's killing me to think that he hurt you again and that the pain might be something doctors could help, but you won't let them."

Pam sighed. "Let's go."


	19. Chapter 19

After only a couple hours, Jim and Pam were leaving the hospital.

"How do your ribs feel?"

"Fine. The medicine they gave me really helped."

"So they don't hurt at all anymore?" Jim asked as they arrived at the car, stopping.

"Yeah, why?"

Pam's question was answered by a hug so tight it might have suffocated her had she thought she was in danger. She relaxed after a moment, putting her hands on the back of Jim's head.

"Hey, hey, Jim, I'm right here, it's okay." Pam reminded him.

"I almost lost you," he mumbled, pulling her in a bit closer.

"Jim, it's okay. I'm here, and I'm okay." She stood on her tiptoes to kiss his lips as a reminder. "Come on, let's go home." She said, stroking his back a few times before getting into the car.

Jim gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and locked his eyes on the road while they drove home. After a moment, Pam took Jim's hand in her own, moving her thumb in small circles over the back of his palm. He relaxed a bit, his face softening and his shoulders destressing. The car ride passed in silence, and soon they arrived back at Jim's apartment. Officer Bouchard had been nice enough to fix the door while the two of them were out. Jim swung it open, and as soon as it was closed, Pam pushed Jim into it, kissing him passionately.

"Jim, he's gone. We don't have to worry about him anymore. Say something, please." She said in between the moments of endearment.

It had taken longer for things to click for Jim, but when they did, he was overjoyed. Roy was never going to bother her again. He had her for as long as she wanted to be around. Smiling at her, he moved his head towards hers.

"I love you," He said, placing his hands on her hips to kiss her cheekbone gently, but with the same amount of love as Pam had been kissing him before. They were both still in their pajamas, as the hectic nature of the day hadn't allowed time for them to change into real clothes. Pam tugged at the hem of Jim's cotton shirt.

"Pam, are you sure?" Jim asked, knowing this was a big deal for her. The only other person to ever see her naked body was the man who was just put in prison for harming it, but now she knew she was safe. Pam nodded, and Jim picked her up by the waist. She responded by curling her legs around his torso for support, and he carried her to their bedroom, gently laying her on the bed before resuming his previous activity of kissing her, moving from her cheekbone to her neck as he climbed on to the bed as well, placing one leg on either side of her. Pam let out a pleased sigh as she tugged at Jim's shirt again, this time successfully taking it off. He made eye contact with her as if to ask for permission before peeling her own shirt off her body. Her stomach and back were scattered with red welts that presumably came from Roy's belt. Jim shook his head, wishing he could've prevented each scar.

"Do you still love me?" Pam asked, her voice barely above a faltering whisper.

"Do I still love you?" Jim asked, almost in disbelief. "Of course I still love you. I love you for so much more than your body. You know that, right, Pam? You know that I love you for your giggle." He said, kissing her neck. "Your sense of humour," he continued, kissing her collarbone. "Your bravery. Your sweetness. Your hair, and your general adorableness. Your art. The way your eyes crinkle at the corners when you laugh. The way you get so into our pranks on Dwight. In addition to all of that, I love your -body. Your beautiful body," Jim whispered, punctuating each sentence with a kiss, planting the last just above her belly button.

"I love you, too." Pam smiled, reaching for the knot at the waist of his flannel pants, tugging them to his ankles successfully. He kicked them away as he traced his finger around the hem of the sweatpants she'd worn to bed last night. He slowly pulled them down past her ankles and discarded them with the rest of their clothes. They continued at that pace, and it was slow and gentle and beautiful. When they finished, Jim wrapped his arms around Pam's torso, settling his chin in the area where her neck met her shoulder. They now understood the definition of "love making." as opposed to sex. Jim had had sex before. He had a few long term girlfriends in college, and before he started working at Dunder Mifflin, but that wasn't love making. That was nothing but a motion compared to this. Pam had had sex with Roy before, but it was never something she enjoyed, and she had just accepted that she likely never would. It was different with Jim. It was slow and smooth and gentle, and the physical intimacy just felt right with Jim. She liked the idea that she was seeing a part of Jim that was only for her, and likewise for him.

"I love you," Pam whispered, surprising Jim, who thought she was asleep due to her gently closed eyes and deep, relaxed breathing.

"I love you too," Jim said, pulling her a little closer to him. "How are your ribs?" he asked softly.

"Great." Pam smiled. More than her ribs felt great. "Do you think we can get away with not going to work tomorrow? I'd like to stay in this position for a few more days," She teased, feeling more relaxed and safe than she had in years.

"Well, we'll have tonight at least." Jim answered.

"And the next night, and the next night, and the next night, and the next night." Pam teased, giggling a little.

"Sounds great," Jim answered, kissing her temple.

"I'm really tired." She whispered.

"It's been a long day. Go to bed." Jim advised.

"But I don't want to go to bed," Pam complained. "If I go to bed, this moment is over."

"Not over," Jim corrected. "Just to be continued."


	20. Chapter 20

Jim and Pam woke up late the Wednesday after Roy was arrested, but they were none too happy about the reason they got to sleep in. They were going to court today to discuss how long Roy would be in prison. Because they had grounds for instant arrest, there was no question of whether or not Roy would spend time in jail, they were only there to determine how many years. Jim started his day by making coffee for Pam and himself as she took a shower. He was too nauseous to eat, so he knew Pam must have been too, and didn't bother to make breakfast. 15 minutes later, Pam walked into the kitchen, wearing a form fitting black dress with red pumps, as well as a black blazer with golden buttons.

"You look nice," Jim said. If it wasn't given the occasion, Jim likely would've helped Pam take the outfit off in their bedroom, but it was too serious a time.

"Thanks. Kelly loaned it to me. She said she wanted to help the best way she knew how," Pam chuckled softly. They hadn't said anything publicly about Roy's arrest, but news spread like wildfire, especially where Roy had worked in the warehouse.

"Coffee," Jim said, sliding her a mug.

Pam wrapped her hands around the mug, taking a tentative sip. She put the mug down after a moment and rushed around the counter, wrapping her arms around Jim's neck and placing her face in his chest as he put his arms around her waist, pulling her closer.

"It's all going to be okay," Pam said, and it wasn't exactly a question, but she didn't sound completely certain.

"Of course it's all going to be okay," Jim consoled, rubbing her back. "Babe, what are you worried about?" He asked, wanting to pinpoint the issue.

"I think it's seeing him, mostly." Pam said.

"Oh, Pam." Jim said, pulling her in a bit closer. "I'll be there, and officers from the prison will be there, and he'll be restrained. You'll be safe, I promise. He's not going to hurt you anymore."

"That's not really what I meant," Pam said.

"What did you mean?" Jim asked, confused.

"I feel like I really hurt him. I mean, we were together for 9 years-"

"Pam, it's not your job to worry about his feelings. He never worried about yours." Jim told her, the last sentence visibly stinging her, which wasn't Jim's intent. His apology came in the form of a kiss to the forehead. "Give me 20 minutes and then we'll go, okay?"

* * *

Jim and Pam were at the courthouse promptly at ten, and met for a few minutes with the lawyer assigned to them by Officer Bouchard. Pam's leg jittered nervously as she waited for the trial to start. Pam was called to the stand first, by her own lawyer. She swallowed nervously before going to testify.

"Ma'am, for how long did Mr. Anderson abuse you physically?"

"About 7 years," Pam answered, her voice shaking less than she expected.

"Can you describe the abuse?"

"There was hitting, kicking, and belting, mostly. He would throw things and break glass. Once he scalded me with boiling water. He shoved me out of the car while it was moving a few times." Pam had promised herself that she wouldn't look at Jim, as she didn't want to see him upset, but she snuck a glance down. If looks could kill, Roy would be toast.

"Can you describe the specific instance that was a partial witness of?" The lawyer asked.

"It was about nine at night. I had just gotten home from the mall with Jim, but as Roy didn't like Jim, I had said that I was out with friends from work. When Roy found out I was with Jim, he flipped." Pam managed to make it through, but by the end, she was crying, although not sobbing, but her breathing was a bit labored. Jim shot up from his seat.

"Your honor, permission to approach the stand."

"Denied." The balding male judge said.

"Your honor-" Jim protested.

"Jim, he can't have you going up to the podium, it makes it look like you're trying to influence her testimony." The lawyer told Jim in a whisper.

"No further questions." He said to the judge, allowing Pam to return to her seat, where Jim attempted to calm her down for a few moments. Squeezing her hand, he leaned towards her to whisper in her ear.

"Hey, hey, hey. I'm right here, Pam. You're past that point of your life now. He can't hurt you anymore. Okay? You're okay. I love you." He was interrupted by the voice of Roy's lawyer, a strict-looking black haired woman.

"Pam Beasley to the stand," She said, her voice almost monotonous. Jim squeezed Pam's hand again, more in anger towards the lawyer. "You can do this, okay?" She nodded before returning to the stand.

"Ma'am, in the instance you described at the end of your testimony, you provoked , would you say most of the arguments began this way?"

"I object!" Jim called out, standing up. He wasn't sure of whether or not he actually could object, but someone had to call this lady on her bullshit. Abuse was never "provoked."

"I also object, your honor," Pam's lawyer stood next to Jim.

"Agreed. You may exit the stand, ."

Pam sat down again, and it was time for Jim to tell his story about the night he found out about Pam's relationship with Roy. He managed to keep bias out of the retelling, but it made him upset to think about.

"There will be a three-hour recess for lunch and for the jury to make its decision." The judge announced, dismissing everyone from the courtroom. Jim and Pam were too nervous to eat lunch, so they drove home, anxiously waiting for the three hours recess to be over.

* * *

Three hours later the court reassembled, and everyone in the room was nervous beyond belief. The judge began to speak in an authoritative voice.

"The jury has agreed that Roy Anderson will serve twenty years in prison, as well as having a legally binding restraining order stating that he is never to be less than 75 miles from Ms. Beasley." He continued to close the case and dismiss everyone, but Jim and Pam were too excited to listen to the rest of his speech. Once the judge was done talking, Pam turned to Jim.

"We did it," she said quietly, but her large grin spoke volumes.

"I am so proud of you. Come here, Beasley." Jim said, wrapping her into a hug as he watched Roy Anderson leave the courthouse in the back of a police cruiser.


	21. Chapter 21

Jim shivered as a freezing draft rushed through Dunder Mifflin. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Pam in Michael's office, where she tried to explain the doppler map of their area to him. Scranton was about to be hit with a killer blizzard, and it was likely that their work day would have to be cut short so everyone could get home safely.

"Michael, it's at least eight inches." Pam explained, pointing to their section of the online map.

"That's what she said!" He exclaimed, laughing.

Pam sighed. Typical Michael. "We should really let everybody go home, so nobody has to drive when the roads are too bad." Pam advised, looking at the ground.

"Maybe we should all _stay, _and have a snowed-in party!" Michael suggested.

"Oh, Michael," Pam said, searching for a way to get out of this without hurting his feelings. "That sounds _so_ awesome, but I don't think that really gives the Party Planning Committee enough time to do their job."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Michael said, defeated. "Well, there's always next time. You can go ahead and tell everybody to get on home."

"Have a great night, Michael." Pam said sincerely.

"Oh, I will. I've got a date tonight with a total _babe_ named Carol."

Pam laughed. "I hope you have an awesome time," she said before exiting his office. "We can go home!" Pam announced happily after shutting his door.

T

he rest of the office let out hollers and claps of excitement, and Pam seated herself in Jim's lap to give him a long kiss. After a moment, she moved her mouth towards her ear and whispered slowly in his ear.

"I think it's time to get home,"

"Agreed," Jim said without moving.

Pam slid out of the chair and took quick steps to the coatrack, tossing Jim his coat before putting on her own. They were the first out of the parking lot as Jim drove briskly to get them home. They managed to keep their composure until they reached the elevator of the apartment building, where Jim's lips instantly found their home against Pam's. The elevator opened and they separated for a moment, only long enough for Jim to unlock the apartment door and let both of them in. He shut the door behind them, and then picked Pam up at the waist, pinning her against the door to kiss her neck. Pam shut her eyes and let her head fall back, curling her legs around his waist.

"Bedroom," Pam whispered breathlessly.

"Too far." Jim responded, laying her down on the table. "This okay?" he asked.

"Fine," She answered, slamming her palm on the table. "Come here," she said.

He leaned over the table to kiss her, and Pam made nimble work of her fingers, loosening his tie and swiftly undoing each of the buttons on his pastel green shirt. He took his arms off her waist for a moment, allowing her to remove the shirt completely. Jim worked on Pam's blue sweater next, slowly pulling it off to reveal a cream-colored tank top that complimented her skin. Her hair was spread over the table in her red curls, and Jim stopped for a moment.

"Jim," Pam murmured, pulling him over her by his wrists.

"You are so pretty," he told her before kissing her neck.

"I'm going to end up hurting myself on this table, take me to the bedroom," Pam requested, and Jim complied. They laid in the bed for a few moments after they finished, just relaxing and listening to each other breathe, when the power went out. Pam started giggling, but Jim rolled out of bed and began to put his clothes back on.

"Where are you going?" Pam asked, pouting.

"I've got to put the space heater on, just in case the generator malfunctions or something." Jim explained, putting on his work pants and putting his hands in the pockets. "I'll be right back," he told her, kissing her forehead quickly before leaving the bedroom. He got the space heater out of a closet and set it up in the living room, a little surprised when he turned around and Pam was there. "You could've stayed in bed, babe." He told her.

"I know, I didn't want to stay in bed. I'm awake now. Let's do something fun." Pam suggested, smiling.

"There's a trivia deck in the drawer with the takeout menus?" Jim suggested. "Winner picks the dessert we buy once they clear the roads."

"Sounds good. How do we know who won?"

"First to 5?"

"You're on, Halpert."

"Put your dukes up, Beasley."

"You make coffee and I'll shuffle the deck?"

"Great, let me just put different clothes on," Jim said, noticing that he was in work pants and no shirt, and she was in one of his t-shirts and a pair of leggings. He retreated to their room and changed into sweatpants, moving his keys and the other items in his work pockets into the pockets of the sweatpants, and pulled a white v-neck over his head. He came back to the kitchen and living room, where Pam sat waiting for him. "Ask me my first question while I make the coffee," he suggested, kissing her cheek as he passed her on the way to the gas stove, which he lit with a match, handing Pam a flashlight to read the cards. It wasn't entirely dark outside yet, but soon they'd struggle to read the cards if they didn't have the light.

"Okay, your category is U.S History."

"Failed this class in High School. Bring it."

"Who was the fifth American President?"

"Um, Grover Cleveland?"

"James Munroe. Grover Cleveland was like, 20 Presidents later."

"Wow, I was wrong _and _I got sassed. I give up." Jim teased, picking up a card. "Your category is film."

"Bring it."

"What film won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1998?"

"Oh, this one's easy, Titanic!"

"Come on, Beasley. You totally peeked at this card."

"I think you're underestimating my teenaged obsession with Leonardo DiCaprio."

"Fair enough," He said, sliding her a cup of coffee.

"Okay, in the category of Geography, how many continents exist on planet Earth?"

"Seven." Jim answered confidently.

"That was an easy one, it totally doesn't count."

"Um, it totally does." Jim countered. "What year did the black plague terrorize Europe?"

"Mine is _way _harder than yours!"

"Just take a guess, Beasley."

"1350," Pam said, choosing a number at random.

"The correct answer was 1349, but I'll give it to you under the assumption that you were rounding."

Pam laughed as she picked up a card for Jim. "How many books are there in the Bible?"

"Um.. 52?" Jim asked, in no way confident in his answer.

"The correct answer is 66, but I can give you a kiss as a consolation prize?"

"I'll take it," Jim shrugged, smiling as he leaned over the counter to give Pam a brief kiss.

They continued like this for about 20 minutes, at which point Pam had racked up four cards, and Jim only two. They had now moved to the couch.

"Okay, Beasley. This one could end the game. Are you ready? This could be life changing." He warned, picking up a card.

"Will you quit stalling so we can go get cheesecake?" Pam teased.

"Okay," Jim said, standing up and raising his hands in mock surrender. Suddenly leaning close, to add a silly bit of dramatic effect, he said as calmly and collectedly as he could manage, "Pamela Morgan Beasley, will you marry me?"

As Pam had taken a sip of her coffee, Jim had put the card down and pulled the ring out of his pocket, which sat beautifully in it's black velvet box. Pam felt her mouth drop open in surprise and raised her hand to cover it as she felt a tear slip out of her eye and down her cheek.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, nodding. She leapt into Jim's arms when he stood up, and they both were too happy to speak, so they just laughed as they clung to each other.

"Here, let me put the ring on your finger," Jim said, his smile brightening the room like sunbeams as he put her down on the couch and shakily put the ring on her finger, which was also shaking.

"Does this mean I won?" Pam asked softly, with a smile so bright it could've stopped the blizzard.

"I don't know, I'm feeling pretty strongly like a winner," Jim smiled as he sat back on the couch and pulled Pam into his lap.


	22. Chapter 22

Late in the afternoon of the second week of February, all of the workers in the office had crowded into the conference room, which had been festooned with pink and red tablecloths, streamers, and balloons. In celebration of Valentine's Day, romantic music was playing, desserts were set out on the table, and most importantly, no one was expected to be working. Jim and Pam were sitting quietly in a corner, minding their own business as Jim took a bite of a soft, frosted cookie.

"Thank you for my flowers," Pam said, smiling at Jim before peeking back over at reception, where the bouquet of roses sat in a vase Pam had found hidden in the back of a cabinet in the kitchen.

"Not a problem," Jim said, smiling pleasantly as he wrapped an arm around Pam's waist.

"You all packed?" Pam asked, as they were leaving for a weekend with Pam's parents the next morning.

"I might still have some packing to do," Jim admitted.

"How much is some?"

"All of it. I have done no packing."

"Jim!" Pam laughed.

"I'll get it done." He assured her.

"You'd better, I'm not sharing my clothes with you, we have totally different color palettes."

"Not even the purple sweater?" Jim bantered.

"Not a chance."

Left without a witty response, Jim picked a chocolate covered strawberry off his plate and lifted it towards Pam's mouth.

"Jim, not in the off-" Pam attempted to protest, but Jim managed to sneak the dessert into Pam's mouth as she spoke. After swallowing the strawberry, she smiled up at him. "I hate you. You are so lucky Michael didn't catch that."

"I don't know, he seems to be entertaining himself with the liquor pretty well."

"Well enough that we have a chance to escape?"

"Beasley! A member of the Party Planning Committee skipping out on an office party? I'm ashamed to be engaged to you."

"Oh God, I'm so glad you said that, because I'm pretty much disgusted by you now," she said, playfully slipping her ring off her finger and into his pocket.

"Nope, too late. You're mine now." Jim said, clasping both his hands around the small of her back.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Pam said, putting her ring back on and letting her arms fall around Jim's neck.

* * *

Jim groaned Saturday morning when the alarm went off, rolling over to silence it, though he was in no way ready or willing to get up yet.

"Come back," Pam murmured,extending an arm towards him when he scooted away, missing his warmth next to her.

"We have to get up," he grumbled, returning to her.

"I don't wanna," Pam whined childishly.

"I know. sweetheart. but don't you want to go see your parents?"

"Yeah," Pam decided after a moment, taking a few shaky steps out of bed and towards the closet. Truth be told, she was a little nervous. Jim and her parents had never met, though Pam had told her mother many a story about Jim's crazy pranks. She pulled a blue sweater off of it's hanger, and quickly changed in the bathroom. "Babe!" She called before coming out.

"Yeah?"

"Do you know where my off-white scarf is?"

"The knitted one?"

"Yeah, I need it for this sweater."

Jim, wondering what Pam meant, swung open the bathroom door, where Pam stood in front of the mirror, applying mascara. He noticed the plunging neckline of the blue sweater, and understood.

"I don't think you need the scarf," he told her, coming up behind her and placing his hands on her hips.

"Jim, you're meeting my parents for the first time, do you want them to think you turned me into some harlot?"

"It might be worth it,"

"It's not worth it."

"The scarf is lost?" Jim hoped.

"The scarf is in the closet, but good try." She smiled, turning around to kiss him quickly before retrieving the scarf herself.

After a bit more scurrying about, Jim and Pam were in the car, on their way to Pam's parent's home in rural Pennsylvania. Pam had grown up in Scranton, but when she moved out, her parents chose a smaller home in a quieter town, about two hours away. Pam focused on the road, her mouth a straight line as her leg bounced up and down anxiously, with only a few minutes of their drive remaining.

"Pam, what's wrong?"

"I'm just nervous!" Pam said defensively.

"Okay," Jim said in a pitch a bit higher than one he'd normally use. "Pam, sweetheart, why are you so nervous? It's your parents, not the Supreme Court."

"I don't know. You're so calm, I guess it only makes sense for one of us to be nervous."

"Babe, if it makes you feel any better, I'm freaking out."

"Really?" Pam asked, surprised. Jim rarely freaked out over anything. He was calm and collected, always.

"Hell yeah!' Jim said, shaking his head. "I'm terrified. I've never met them before, and they've given me the best thing I've ever had."

Pam smiled, knowing what he was insinuating. "You know, I like you." She said as if he didn't already know it. "That should be enough for my parents," she reassured him. "Oh, this is it on the left," Pam said, pointing to a modest, pale-green painted wooden house. Jim swallowed nervously as he pulled into the driveway.


	23. Chapter 23

"This is cute," Jim remarked about the house nervously.

"Speaking of cute, you look nice," Pam said, noticing that Jim had picked a sweater and a nice pair of slacks to meet her parents.

"You're looking radiant, as always."

"Oh, stop it, you." Pam said, blushing as she rang her parents doorbell. Her mother rushed to the door, pulling Pam into a hug as she said hello.

"Oh, I've missed you!" Mrs. Beasley said, squeezing Pam to punctuate her sentence.

"I missed you too, Mom." Pam said, smiling.

"Helene Beasley," Pam's mother said, extending her hand to shake Jim's.

"Jim Halpert."

"Yes, I know. I've heard so much about you."

"Mom!" Pam complained, feeling embarrassed. Jim smiled at Pam.

"Where's my girl?" A deeper voice bellowed from inside.

"Daddy!" Pam yelled back, rushing down the hallway, leaving Jim to grin at the childlike antics she could be caught partaking in when she knew she was safe.

"Come in," Helene said, inviting Jim into the house, where Pam was currently embracing her father.

"Thank you, Ma'am," Jim said, ducking a tad to get through the short doorway.

"Oh, none of that. It's Helene." insisted. "I'll show you to the spare room, you can put your coats and things in there." Jim followed Helene, and Pam caught up to them after a moment.

"Mom, why is so much of Dad's stuff in here?" Pam inquired, looking concerned.

"Oh, it's nothing, dear. Don't worry. Breakfast is almost ready. Why don't you two come help set the table." Helene suggested, changing the subject. Jim placed their suitcases against the wall and then returned to Pam's side, placing an arm around her waist.

"See, nothing to be nervous about." Jim said, leading Pam back downstairs where he struggled to help her set the table, due to his lack of knowledge of where everything was stored. Once they had finished, Helene reminded Pam to wash her hands, and Jim followed suit, sitting across from Mr. Beasley at the square table, leaving him with Helene on his left and Pam to his right.

"I'll pray," Mr. Beasley said, extending his hands towards Helene and Pam. Jim realized what to do, and took the hands of his fiance and soon-to-be mother in-law. "Dear Lord," he began. "We thank You for this day and for this food that You have blessed us with. May the energy we gain from its consumption go directly to glorifying you. We thank you that we are able to have our beautiful daughter Pam and her fiance Jim home with us for the weekend. In Jesus's name we pray, Amen."

"Amen," Helene and Pam repeated.

"Well, dig in." Helene said, gesturing to the table, which was covered in dishes of pancakes, bacon, and toast, as well as a jug of orange juice and a pot of coffee.

Jim did just this, putting a few pancakes and strips of bacon on his plate, asking Pam for the maple syrup and pouring a bit of it on his plate before cutting his flapjacks and digging in. "These are delicious, Mrs. Beasley, thank you for breakfast." Jim said, noticing that Pam used the same recipe to make breakfast for them some mornings.

"Thank you, James."

"He goes by Jim, Helene." Mr. Beasley said a bit gruffly.

"It's fine," Jim assured both of them, looking back down at his plate a tad awkwardly.

"Have you even introduced yourself, William?" Helene responded, her tone a bit more shrill.

"Bill Beasley," He said, standing up and leaning over the table to shake Jim's hand.

"Jim Halpert." he responded, shaking his hand before sitting back down.

"It's a pleasure." Helene said once the two men were seated.

"The same to the both of you." he said.

"So, what do you do at Dunder Mifflin?" Helene asked, trying to keep conversation going.

"I sell paper and other office supplies," Jim said, not trying to make it sound any more interesting than it was.

"A salesman! Good one, Pam." Bill commented.

"William!" Helene protested at the same time as Pam called out "Dad!"

"What?" Bill asked.

"Don't you think you're being a bit crass?" Helene said, tightlipped.

Taking a deep breath, Bill apologized, and the rest of the breakfast seemed to go a bit more pleasantly. When the meal was over, Jim went to the kitchen to help Pam do the dishes, but was soon shooed away by Helene.

"We can take care of it, dear. Go on now," she said, urging him out of the kitchen.

"Alright, alright." Jim said, complying with her requests. "Thank you again for breakfast, . It was delicious."

"You're welcome," She smiled graciously. "Now, shoo!" She teased.

"Jim! Join me on the porch for a cigar, will you?" Bill called out.

"Absolutely," Jim said, shooting Pam a nervous glance before heading to the back porch, where Bill sat in a lawn chair with a metal tin of cigars, extending it towards him. Jim didn't really smoke, but a cigar with his soon-to-be father in-law wouldn't hurt, he decided, taking the light from Bill after sitting down.

"So, you're going to marry my Pamela," Bill said, a bit of awe in his tone as he looked over the land behind his home, which featured a beautiful view of faraway mountains.

Sighing, Jim responded. "By some miracle of God, I think I am."

"You know, it's funny. There was always something a bit off about Roy, but nobody ever would've suspected he was as off his rocker as he was. He just seemed a little weird. But, God. The way you look at Pam, it makes the way Roy looked at her seem like a face of disgust."

Jim tensed up a little at the mention of Roy, but relaxed when the conversation went to Pam. "Pam… Pam's great. She's funny, and she's cute, and she's warm. She walks into a room, and instantly everything just feels a bit lighter. I've known since the moment I met her that I wanted to marry her, it seems like a crazy dream that it's actually going to happen."

"Huh." Bill said, causing Jim to wonder if he had said too much or crossed some sort of line. "Son, can I let you in on a secret?" Bill asked, turning to face Jim.

"Sure," Jim said, a little apprehensive.

"Helene and I are getting divorced. We wanted Pam to have one last weekend like she had when we were growing up before we told her, and we wanted her to know that her marriage has the blessing of both of us, and if you truly feel that way about Pam, you sure as hell have my blessing. Truth be told, I never felt like that with Helene. Not once."

"Wow," Jim said, a little overwhelmed with information.

"Just, don't tell Pam, okay? We want her to have her weekend."

"Absolutely." Jim said solemnly.

"You're a good kid, James Halpert."


	24. Chapter 24

"Jim, get up. We have to get ready for church." Pam said groggily Sunday morning.

"Right, church." Jim said, remembering where he was and whatnot. Jim's family wasn't very religious growing up, and he wasn't very religious as a result, though he did believe in a God. Pam had grown up in a very Presbyterian household, and both of her parents were active in the church. Pam believed as well, more strongly than Jim, but she hadn't attended church since before college.

Jim stood up and took a few shaky steps towards his suitcase, where he had stored a button-down shirt, tie, jacket, and a pair of slacks, not knowing how formal Pam's church was when he had been packing. While Pam was in the bathroom that adjoined to their bedroom, he changed into the pants and shirt, leaving the jacket off while he tied the tie around his neck. Pam came out as he was adjusting the tie, wearing a light blue sundress and a white cardigan.

"You look...lovely." Jim said, taking a moment to search for the right word as he placed his hand on her hip. He kissed her cheek to punctuate his sentence.

"Well, good morning handsome." Pam said, placing her hands on either side of his face to kiss him again.

"You sleep okay?" Jim asked.

"Yeah, you?"

"Pretty good. Can't wait to be home though."

"Oh, boo-hoo. We've been gone for like, a day." Pam teased.

"Did you have a good weekend?' Jim asked.

"Yeah, I did." Pam smiled.

"Well then, that's what counts.

* * *

After church that morning, the family had collected for Sunday lunch, which Pam informed Jim was an undying tradition in the Beasley household. Even when she was at college, she came home for Sunday lunch whenever she could. Eventually, Roy made her stop going, so she was excited to get to have the meal with her parents and fiance. As soon as church was over, she went to the kitchen, dutifully helping her mother prepare a roast. Jim again tried to help her and Helene, but was shooed away like he had been earlier in the weekend. Instead, he made himself busy by packing his and Pam's things and loading them into the car. had stayed at the church, taking care of some council business. Just as he shut the trunk of his Corolla, a car drove up and dropped Mr. Beasley off. Jim noticed a woman in the driver's seat, and felt his heart drop for Pam. Shaking his head, he walked inside, as Bill hadn't noticed him in the garage. As he walked in, he heard Pam calling for him.

"Jim, dinner's ready!" She yelled up to the bedroom.

"Right here," Jim teased, kissing her quickly on the cheek.

"Oh, sorry, I thought you were upstairs."

"No worries. We should wash our hands before we go to the kitchen," Jim said, as he had taken note of the unflinching rule in the Beasley household.

"Absolutely we should." She smiled, opening the door to the nearby bathroom. They both washed their hands quickly and proceeded downstairs, where the Beaselys had been waiting for them patiently.

"You two ready to eat?" Helene said sweetly.

"Yup," they responded in unison.

"Lovely, sit down. Bill, will you pray?"

"Sure," Bill said, extending his hands and saying grace for their meal, which he instantly dug into after praying.

The meal passed pleasantly, with Jim complimenting the food aptly. After they had all finished eating and the conversation had died down, Bill leaned forward in his chair.

"Pam, baby, your mother and I have something we wanted to tell you."

"Oh?" Pam said, instantly looking for Jim's hand with her own.

"_They're doing this now?" _Jim thought, giving Pam's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Pamela, we love you dearly, and first, we just want you _both _to know that your marriage has the blessing of both of us." Helene started.

"Thanks," Pam smiled, relaxing a bit. Jim held his breath.

"Pam, we love you so, so much, and we never want you to feel hurt, but our marriage just isn't working. We're separating. I'm moving out this week, and your mother is staying here. We wanted you to have one last, nice weekend like you had when you were little before we separated. Sweetheart, just in talking with Jim this week, I know this was the right choice." Bill explained.

"Oh." Pam said, looking down at her lap. Jim had no clue what to do, and essentially just sat there, absorbing all of the information.

"Sweetheart, please don't be upset. Your father and I love you very much."

"

Oh, no. I'm not upset. I mean, I want you guys to both be happy, and it's not like I live with you guys anymore. It's not throwing my life through a loop or anything." Pam said, although Jim could tell from her tone that she was upset. She was trying so hard not to be, but she was, and she had every right to be. Jim squeezed her hand again.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're looking at it that way, dear. Give me a hug." Mrs. Beasley said, standing up to embrace her daughter. Pam walked towards her and reciprocated the hug, but it felt very forced and rigid. Her mothers arms felt like spikes bearing into her sides.

"We should really get going, we have work in the morning," Pam said, motioning for Jim to get up. Mr. Beasley stood up as well, kissing his daughter on the cheek and pulling her hair out of her face lovingly.

"Love you always," he said tenderly, kissing her forehead.

"Love you too, Dad." Pam responded, unable to make eye contact with him as she pulled away.

"Jim, dear, are you ready to go?" Pam called down the hallway.

"The car's all packed, I was just grabbing our jackets." Jim said, extending his arm to give her her pale pink peacoat.

"Thanks."

"Not a problem."

"Alright, well, we've got to go," Pam said, making her way towards the door.

"Thank you so much for having us," Jim called as he exited behind Pam, who was already halfway to the car.

Jim got to the car and started driving towards home, but pulled over just as he got out of her parent's neighborhood.

"Why are we stopped?" Pam said, aggravated.

"Pam, you don't have to pretend with me." Jim said, turning to look at her.

Pam's lip shook, and she pulled her mouth into a straight line. A tear fell onto the fabric of the car, and seeing it stain the fabric sent Pam over the edge. She was sobbing, but it wasn't loud. If Jim had been focused on his driving, he might not have even have noticed. She was shaking, and heaving deep breaths, but she wasn't wailing. Jim, again, didn't know how to help. He knew it wasn't right for her to hold her frustration in, however. He settled for rubbing circles on her back with his palm, and letting her cry for a bit.

"Sweetheart, I am so, so sorry, but I have no clue how to help you. You have an appointment with Camryn tomorrow, though." Jim reminded her. They'd cut appointments back to once a month, and had by chance booked an appointment for that Monday.

"That'll be good," Pam said, pulling herself together and sniffling. "I'll talk to Camryn about it. It'll be okay." Jim nodded in response.


	25. Chapter 25

Pam and Jim sat once again in the small waiting room outside Camryn's office, tensions running high. When Pam's name was called, she retreated to the familiar office silently.

"You alright, Pam?" She asked. "You seem a little tense."

"It's been a rough weekend," Pam said, shaking her head.

"Why is that?" Camryn pressed.

"My parents are separating, and I'm just really kind of confused about the whole thing." Pam admitted.

"And why is that?"

Pam wondered if Camryn knew how to say anything other than "Why is that?" but answered her question anyway. "Well, I don't know. I came from a good, loving, Christian family. I didn't come from the kind of family that believed in divorce, and then when my parents were telling me about it, my dad said that talking to Jim this weekend confirmed that he wanted to separate from my mom, and now I'm just wondering what the hell Jim said, and how long he and I are going to be married before he says it to me…" Pam vented.

"Did you ask your father what Jim said?"

"Well, no…" Pam realized.

"Why don't you call him?"

"Right now?"

"Absolutely. I can't really help you deal with a problem, if you're not 100% sure what the problem is."

"Fair enough," Pam agreed, finding her cell phone in her purse, and calling her father.

"Hello?"

"Hey, dad?" Pam asked shakily.

"Hey, Princess. What's up?"

"Um, when we were eating dinner on Sunday, you said that talking to Jim confirmed that you wanted to separate from Mom, and just...What did he say to you?" She asked.

"Oh, Pam, that boy is so in love with you. You hold on to him tight. He talked about how much happier you made him just by coming into a room, and God, Pam, the way that boy looks at you. He looks at you like you put the stars in the sky. He literally said that marrying you was a miracle from God. He said that he's never doubted that you're who he wants to marry, and sweetheart, your mom and I never had that. Hold on to that," he reiterated.

"Okay. Thanks, Dad."

"Anytime, squirt. Love you."

"Love you too," Pam said, hanging up the phone.

"I take it that went well," Camryn said, seeing the grin that had spread on Pam's face.

"Yeah." She sighed pleasantly.

"So how do you feel about the whole situation now?" Camryn asked.

"Well, I guess… When you're a kid, you assume your parents are soul mates. Mine just weren't and that's okay. But, just like I did, my kids are going to assume their parents are soulmates. They're going to be right about that."

After the rest of their session, Pam went back to Jim feeling much more content. Jim, seeing this change in her demeanor, relaxed a bit in his chair before standing up. Before even saying anything, Pam stood on her tiptoes to kiss Jim quickly.

Clasping her hand in his, Jim spoke when Pam broke the kiss. "You know, I'm totally not complaining, but you kissing me after therapy definitely happens a lot."

"Oh, can it, you." Pam said, hitting him playfully as they left the building.

"So, you ready to plan a kick-ass wedding?" Jim asked as they buckled into the car.

"Ugh," Pam groaned. She totally looked forward to marrying Jim, but she helped her sister plan her wedding, and it was nothing if not stressful.

"That's the spirit!" Jim said excitedly, causing Pam to laugh.

"Where do we even start?" She asked.

"Okay, well we start with a proposal. Did we do that yet?" Jim asked, pretending to be confused.

"Come on, Jim. You had one job." Pam bantered

"Damnit. I'll get on that. The second thing is to pick a location."

"Any thoughts?" Pam asked.

"Doesn't matter to me, as long as you're happy," Jim said, joking tone aside.

"Alright," Pam said, overwhelmed by options. "I don't want to go anywhere tropical, because I am _not _getting sunburnt on my wedding day. I want the area to be pretty, but in a cozy kind of way, not a flashy kind of way."

"So Vegas is definitely out?"

"No, I'm trying to tell you that I want to get married in Vegas." Pam said, her dry sarcasm being picked up by Jim.

"Okay, so, they're not exactly Vegas, but there are a few places around here that we could go that fit your criteria."

"Shoot."

"Well, there's the mountains in New Hampshire and Vermont, Lake Champlain, which I'm pretty sure is also in Vermont, and Niagara Falls."

"Ooh, Niagara Falls would be so pretty."

"

I'll grab the laptop when we get upstairs, do you want to put a frozen pizza in the oven?" Jim said, pulling into the carpark of their apartment.

"Sure," she said, getting out of the car and heading up to the apartment, allowing Jim to unlock the door. "You know, I should probably have a key to the apartment." She stated as she went to the freezer and found a pizza.

"We can make a copy after work some day this week," Jim said after re-emerging from his room with his laptop and sitting on the couch.

"Pam, come look at pictures of this church at Niagara Falls," Jim smiled, taking her away from the pizza.

After assuring the oven was preheated, Pam put the pizza in and joined Jim on the couch, folding her legs in. "It's gorgeous," Pam said, looking on with him as he scrolled through the photos of the inside of the church, which had high ceilings, which, like the floor, were made of a light oak. A series of elegant-looking rafters crisscrossed the ceiling, and light from the many stained glass windows painted the floor. "Can I see the outside?" She asked.

"Absolutely," Jim said, looking at her and smiling. She was so precious when she was happy.

The exterior of the building was made of round stones which had been piled on top of each other and cemented together. A tall chimney emerged from the back corner, making the place even more quaint.

"It's perfect." Pam said, almost breathless.

"Should I book it?" Jim asked.

"Oh God, we have to decide on a wedding date if you're going to book it, don't we?"

"Not necessarily. We can put a down payment on the venue and set a date later."

"Let's do that, then." Pam said, leaving Jim to take care of the forms and whatnot as she fetched the pizza from the oven, as the timer had gone off.

"One piece or two?" She called to him.

"One is good," he called back.

"Well," He said, coming into the kitchen to help Pam with the pizza. "We're officially getting married at Niagara Falls."


	26. Chapter 26

The next day at Dunder Mifflin, snow was coming down heavily, thanks to the unpredictability of New England winters. Pam looked at an online weather map nervously.

"Jim, I really don't think you should go," Pam said quietly to her fiance, who was buttoning his coat before departing for lunch with a client.

"Relax, Beasley," Jim said teasingly. "It's a little snow, not a hurricane. I'll be fine. I'll call you on the way back." he reassured her, leaning towards reception to get a quick kiss before heading out. Sighing, Pam granted him the smooch.

"Kick ass, Halpert. " Pam called as he walked away.

"Take names, Beasley," he responded over his shoulder.

Smiling to herself, Pam returned to her work. After two hours, the phone rang.

"Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam."

"Wow, I was originally calling to talk to my fiance, but you sound really pretty. Do you want to go to dinner tonight?" Jim asked.

"Well, I'm actually engaged myself, but you sound significantly hotter than my fiance, so sure."

"Ouch, Beasley." Jim said, chuckling a bit.

"How did it go?" Pam asked.

"Closed it."

"Nice, Halpert." Pam said, acting surprised, though she was fully competent in Jim's abilities.

"Well thanks, cutie," he said, his voice exaggerated, causing Pam to giggle. Her laughter ceased, however, when she heard the screeching of brakes.

"Oh my God, Jim, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. My car's banged up though. I'm literally right down the road. I'll-" The sentence was interrupted by the sound of glass shattering, and the thud of Jim's cellphone to the carpet.

"Jim!" Pam yelled, knowing she wouldn't hear an answer again and dropping the phone on the desk.

"Pam, are you alright?" Phyllis asked, but she was ignored. Pam burst into Michael's office.

"Michael, give me your car keys." Pam commanded.

"Where are you going? Can I come?"

"Michael, I'll explain later, just give me the damn keys!"

Intimidated, he tossed them to her, grabbing her coat from the rack and rushing to the parking lot. Retrieving her phone from the parking lot, she dialed 911, and gave all the information she could to the operator as she drove down the road, eventually seeing Jim's car underneath two others. Only the back half had been driven over, so at the very least, she knew Jim wasn't crushed. She pulled to the side of the road and parked, leaving the car running, rushing to cross the street. "Jim, Jim, Jim" she said over and over again under her breath, as if reminding herself why she had to keep her cool as much as possible. She was just about to open the door when a firefighter pulled her away.

"Ma'am," he said, pulling her by the arm. "Step away from the vehicle."

"That's my fiance!" She yelled, her voice breaking now.

"We'll take it from here, Ma'am. Someone get her a shock blanket!" The firefighter yelled to the numerous EMTs and other firefighters. A young man from an ambulance handed her a blanket and guided her to an ambulance to sit.

"My fiance, I need to know if he's okay." She said, her tone conveying more fear than anger now.

"When your fiance is put in an ambulance, we'll make sure you get taken with him to the hospital. It won't be long now. They know what they're doing." The young man comforted her.

As promised, it wasn't long, and she was loaded onto an ambulance after Jim was loaded on in a gurney, unconscious. Pam tried to stay out of the way, but needed to hold Jim's hand. It was warm. He was breathing. His heart was beating. Pam kept reminding herself of these facts, but seeing the cuts on Jim's face as he sat with his eyes shut didn't help her to stay calm. After what could've been an eternity, but was probably only a few minutes, the ambulance arrived at the hospital, but various nurses began to pull Jim away from Pam.

"Jim!" she called as if he could hear her.

"Now, now. You'll be back with your husband as soon as you're both healthy, okay dear?" A comforting Jamaican woman said, helping her into a wheelchair. Pam didn't bother to correct her when she called Jim her husband.

"I'm fine, really, I wasn't in the car accident,"

"Well, dear, you were out in the cold without a coat, and you witnessed more than your fair share of emotional trauma, so we'll just check you out and run some routine tests. I'm Ellie, sweetheart. What's your name."

"Pamela Morgan Beasley," Pam answered, thinking she was asking for her chart.

"D'you go by Pam, or Pamela, hon?" Ellie asked.

"Pam." she answered.

"Alright, Pam. Let's get you somewhere more private." Ellie said, wheeling her into an examination room, and asking her a slew of routine, most of which Pam paid no attention, until Ellie asked if there was any chance Pam might be pregnant.

"No," she answered at first. Jim had always used a condom. There was no way she was pregnant.

"Honey, are you sure a pretty, young, engaged woman like yourself is 100%, without a doubt, completely not pregnant?" She asked again.

"I guess I could be." Pam said again after thinking for a moment.

"Alright, sweetheart. We're just going to take some blood and a urinalysis, okay?

"Okay," Pam said, none too thrilled at the thought of needles, but ready to just have this whole thing over with. She gave the urinalysis and managed to bear through the blood-drawing, when a doctor called Ellie out of their examination room, leaving Pam alone and making her feel anxious.

"No test results yet, dearie." Ellie said empathetically. Pam, however, wasn't very disappointed, as she had no reason to believe that anything was going to come from any of these tests. "We had someone bring your car back to your workplace, by the way."

"Oh, gosh, thanks," Pam said, realizing that she had completely left Michael's car on the side of the road.

"I have some more good news," Ellie smiled. "You can go see your Jim."


	27. Chapter 27

Pam slowly walked into Jim's room to see him watching a baseball game on the TV mounted on the wall. She chuckled to herself, as this wasn't out of the ordinary for him.

"Jim!" She said excitedly, quickly making her way towards him.

"Pam, are you okay?" Jim asked, the baseball game instantly losing his attention.

"I'm fine, you dingus. How're you holding up?" She asked.

"I have a concussion, a fractured arm, and a few broken ribs. But really, Pam. I'm fine."

"Jim, you were just in a pile-up, for Christ's sake!"

"And I'm fine." He reassured her. "Sweetheart, calm down."

"I told you not to go," Pam said quietly, sitting down.

"I know, sweetheart, but Michael told me to go. I should've listened to you."

"Michael made you go out in this snow?" Pam said, enraged.

"Pam, let's talk about this later, when you're less upset. The important thing is that we're both fine. Come here," Jim said, motioning for her to come closer so he could kiss her. "I'd come to you, but my ribs hurt like a bitch."

"I know the feeling," Pam said, looking up as Ellie walked in.

"We both doing good?" Ellie asked.

"Yup," they both answered, Jim now feeling the effects of the painkillers he'd been given.

"Good, because I have exciting news for you two!"

Pam looked at Jim, a bit confused. Was he going to be released already? He needed a prescription for more pain medicine at least.

"You two are going to be parents!" She announced happily.

Pam and Jim instinctively looked at each other to gauge each other's reaction before their own. Jim smiled first, and Pam, relaxing upon seeing his excitement, smiled as well, allowing herself to giggle a bit with excitement.

"Oh my God, Pam. Come here," Jim said, wrapping her into a tight hug and kissing her head. "We're going to be parents!" He said, releasing her for a second.

"Yeah," Pam smiled, giggling again.

"James, these are your discharge papers, whenever you're ready. Come back in six weeks and we'll take that cast off," Ellie said, leaving Jim and Pam to themselves. Jim kissed Pam again, and after a moment, was interrupted by a doctor clearing his throat.

"Sorry to interrupt you two. I take it you heard the news."

"Yeah," Pam said, nodding with an enthusiastic grin.

"Okay, I just have some notes to give you before you leave. A Mr. Schrute has come to escort you home, as you both came via ambulance. He said he works with you, is that true?"

Laughing, they both answered "Yes."

"Great. Just a few things. I've prescribed James some pain medication. He won't be off his rocker or anything of the sort, but he'll be tired. He can go back to work in a few days, but it would be best if someone else could take care of the at-home stuff like errands and bills. The more time he spends resting, the quicker he'll heal."

"That won't be a problem. Thank you, doctor."

"Of course. You're free to discharge once you've filled out the paperwork.

* * *

The next day, Pam woke up, but was careful not to wake Jim as she got ready for her work, by herself, for the first time in months. It felt weird, and she didn't really like it, but she wanted Jim to be better. She made a cup of coffee and poured a mug for Jim, leaving on his nightstand with a note, telling him that she loved him, and to call her when he woke up. She drove herself to work in her little Yaris, which she realized was now their only car, as Jim's had been totaled in the accident. She parked in the spot where Jim's Corolla usually sat, and continued through her work day like normal, though everything seemed a little bit off with Jim not there. It was like when Jim moved Dwight's desk every time he moved to the bathroom. By the end of the day that day, everything seemed thrown off. Around 10:30, Pam picked up the office phone.

"Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam," She said absentmindedly.

"You sound absolutely enthralled. Are you guys having a "Jim's not here" party?"

"Yeah, totally. There's cake and streamers and everything. Your face is on a dartboard in the conference room. It's great. I'm really enjoying myself."

"Good, good." He laughed.

"How do you feel?"

"I took the pain meds, and I feel fine. I think I can come back to work tomorrow."

"Funny, Jim. There's no way I'm letting you come back tomorrow."

"Pam-" he whined.

"It's not good for your head to be staring at a computer screen all day. Maybe the day after tomorrow. Maybe."

"I never ever ever thought I'd be begging to come to work." He laughed.

"I know, I'm surprised you're not enjoying the vacation," she chuckled.

"Well, as a matter of fact, I miss you, Beasley." He said.

"Yeah, I miss you, too. It's weird with you not here." She sighed.

"Pam, I've got a call on the other line, can I call you in a minute?"

"Sure. Love you."

"Love you, too."

Pam disconnected, wondering who would be calling Jim during the work day. They hadn't told anyone about the accident, so who was calling? Pushing it to the back of her mind, Pam went back to sifting through emails. Jim didn't recognize the number on the other line of his cell phone, but picked it up anyway.

"Hello?" he said.

"Hello, this is David Wallace, CEO of Dunder Mifflin. Is Jim Halpert available?"

"Speaking," Jim said, sitting up, a little confused as to why David Wallace was calling him.

"How're you doing, Jim? We heard about the accident up here at corporate." He said regretfully.

"Um.. I'm doing fine," Jim said, wondering why Corporate was calling him.

"Great, I'm so glad to hear that. Jim, can I be candid with you?"

"Um, sure?" Jim said.

"The company's image really can't afford a lawsuit right now. Michael shouldn't have sent you out in that snow. We're prepared to give you 3 months salary and as much paid vacation as you need to recover provided you don't sue Dunder Mifflin or Michael Scott. Can we agree on that?"

Jim was a little blindsided by this, and took a moment to consider. "Uh…" He began.

"Four months?"

"Um, yeah, sure." Jim said. "Yeah, that'll be great."

"Thanks, Jim. The extra will be in your bonus at the end of the quarter in two weeks." David said gratefully. "Feel better soon."

"Thanks," Jim said, hanging up the phone and calling Pam back.

"Dunder Mifflin, This is Pam."

"You'll never guess who just called me."

"Who?" Pam asked

"David Wallace."

"What did he want?"

"To give me four month's salary so that I wouldn't sue!" Jim said excitedly.

"Oh my gosh, no way. That is going to be so helpful right now, between the wedding and-" Pam's voice changed to a whisper, not wanting any of her coworkers to hear. "The baby."

"I know!"

"So, tell me what happened!"

"Shouldn't you be doing something, Beasley?"

"Maybe."

"I'll tell you when you get home, get back to work." He teased

"Fine," She whined. "Love you."

"Love you, too."


	28. Chapter 28

That night, when Pam returned home bearing Chinese food, Jim told her the story of his phone call with David Wallace earlier that morning.

"So, I know we can't sue, but am I allowed to punch Michael in the face for nearly killing you?" Pam asked teasingly.

"Nearly killing me? Pam, it's a few broken bones and a concussion."

"It was scary!" Pam defended herself. "Now I know how you used to feel," She said more quietly.

"Hey, come here," He said, sensing her beginning to get upset and pulling her next to him for her head to lay against his thigh as he say on the couch. Normally he would've invited her into his lap, but he knew that wouldn't be good for his ribs. He held her hand and rubbed circles on the back of her palm with his thumb. "God, I'm tired."

"The doctor said the medicine would make you fatigued. Come on, let's get you to bed."

"Pam, it's like 7:30." Jim protested.

"Don't argue!" She said sassily. "The doctor said the more you sleep, the quicker you'll get better."

"Fine." Jim said, getting up and moving towards their room, collapsing on the mattress.

"Goodnight," Pam said, kissing him for a moment.

"You're not coming?"

"Well, unless you want the town to shut off our heat, I have to pay the bills. I also have to balance the checkbook and make a grocery list," she said, more to herself than to Jim. "I'll be in later. Just go to bed." Pam said, slipping out of their room to take care of the chores she inherited due to Jim's accident.

Truth be told, Pam almost enjoyed doing these things. For one, it proved to her that she was independant. She could live on her own and pay bills if she wanted to. She knew Jim valued and appreciated her, but she felt even more like a valuable part of their relationship when she was able to complete these tasks. After taking care of what needed to be taken care of, Pam slipped into bed next to Jim, and he pulled her into his chest, being careful of his ribs.

"Why aren't you asleep?" She whispered.

"Bed doesn't feel the same when you're not in it." He responded in a gravelly, tired voice.

Smiling to herself, Pam buried her face in the clean-smelling cotton shirt draped over Jim's chest.

"I'm here now. Go to sleep,"

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Pam?" Jim asked, looking down at her.

"Yeah?" She responded, making eye contact with him.

"Do I have to stay home tomorrow?"

"Yes," she giggled.

"Can you stay home, too? Wallace will probably give you the paid day off."

Laughing, Pam nodded. "It's a date."

"Great," Jim smiled.

"Will you go to bed now? At least _try _to get better?"

"When'd you get so bossy, Beasley?"

Pam was about to elbow him in the ribs, but stopped herself. "You are so lucky that your ribs are hurt."

"Lucky isn't exactly the word I would use," he teased.

"Shh," she said, using her lips to close his mouth. "It's time to sleep," she whispered, settling against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

The next morning at ten, Jim rolled out of bed and got into the shower, attempting to do so without waking Pam. His efforts were in vain. Pam woke up, as much as she resisted it, and sat in bed for a few minutes while Jim showered. After gathering the energy, she sat up, and looked for clothes she could wear for the day, eventually deciding on a pair of leggings and an old University of Scranton t-shirt. She was pulling her fingers through her hair when Jim emerged from the bathroom, steam billowing off of him, an old green towel wrapped around his waist.

"Did I wake you?" Jim asked, seeing Pam sitting up in the bed.

"Maybe," she said flirtatiously, turning to face him.

"Sorry," he apologized, still not awake enough to catch on to her tone.

"Not a problem," Pam said, rising to her knees on the mattress to kiss Jim.

"Careful, I'm all wet."

"Who says I'm not?"

"Beasley!" Jim said, surprised, but smiling.

"What?" Pam asked, batting her eyelashes in an overly dramatic display of innocence.

"Don't play coy with me," he smiled, kissing her again. "Now, who are you, and what did you do with my fiance?"

"I don't know _what _you're talking about," Pam said sweetly, playing along with his charade.

"My fiance," he said, placing his hands on her hips and kissing her, "Has _never_ been so forward. She's downright shy, for goodness sakes."

"Maybe I don't want to be shy anymore," Pam whispered, then kissing the space under his ear.

"Lovely," he said, moving to kiss her neck again. "You know, this arrangement really isn't fair. I'm barely wearing anything, and you're

fully clothed." Jim stated, tugging at the hem of her shirt.

"I _just_ put these on," Pam complained.

"I guess I'll have to make taking them off worth your while," Jim smirked, pulling the grey t-shirt over her head to reveal the bright pink sports bra, which left little to the imagination. He left open mouthed kisses along her collarbone, and she murmured in approval. Smiling, Jim let his index fingers slip under the waistband of her leggings at her hips, pulling them down slowly. Once they were discarded, Pam was laying down on the bed, and she reached her arms up to pull him down by his neck for a kiss.

"Are you going to be okay? Like, your ribs and your head?" Pam asked, looking him in the eyes for a moment.

"Yeah, I feel good." He said, kissing her lips to end the discussion. "Wait, is this okay? The baby-"

"We're fine," Pam assured him. "But this baby has got my hormones all out of alignment, so if we could hurry this process up-"

"You don't have to tell me twice," Jim smiled, kissing Pam again. She arched her back, and he took this opportunity to deftly unclasp the pink fabric surrounding her chest, discarding it with the rest of her clothes.

"Jim," Pam whispered, and they started their day off with a very private display of affection.


	29. Chapter 29

Jim had hated the cast and how limited it made him, but six weeks later, his arm had healed and Jim and Pam had gone to the doctors to have it removed. Jim excitedly hopped into the drivers seat of the car on their way out.

"Jim, it was six weeks, you're acting like it was paralyzed your whole life and you miraculously gained mobility," Pam teased, seeing

Jim's giddy smile as he turned the keys in the ignition.

"Pam, I haven't driven in six weeks. That's like you not drawing for six weeks."

"Well, does your arm feel all better, at least?" Pam asked.

"Yeah," he smiled.

"Good," she smiled back at him. "Let's just stop at Chipotle's for dinner."

"Sounds great," Jim said.

Once they arrived home from dinner, Pam was exhausted. She was about a month and a half along when they found out about their pregnancy, putting her at just a little over three months now, and it was already taking it's toll on her body. A small bump had found it's way to Pam's stomach, to her disdain and Jim's delight.

"Sweetheart, the bump is our baby, not fat." Jim said, trying to convince her of this for what had to be the millionth time.

"Yeah, you and I know that, but no one else does," Pam said.

"Well, do you want to tell everyone else?" Jim asked.

"I mean, I'm excited, and I want to tell people, but I also don't. Michael will have a field day, and what will my parents think?" Pam complained.

"Babe, you're not going to be able to hide this from them forever."

"I'll think about it later. I'm too tired right now." As a response, Jim picked Pam up and carried her up the rest of the stairs bridal-style.

"I missed doing this when I had the cast." He explained, opening the door to his apartment without putting her down.

"You left the door unlocked?" Pam asked once Jim put her down.

"Yeah?" Jim responded, confused. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing." Pam said dismissively.

"I don't believe you," He stated.

"It's nothing, it's probably just pregnancy hormones."

"Okay, so it's something."

"Jim!"

"Come on, Pam. What's the worst thing that's going to happen if you tell me?"

"You'll think I'm crazy," Pam warned.

"I doubt it, but even if I did, that wouldn't change anything, really. I'd still be in love with you."

"Jim, it's really nothing."

"Let me help you," Jim almost begged, taking her hand in his. The look of concern in his eyes nearly broke Pam's heart.

"It's really nothing. I just get nervous sometimes."

"Nervous about what? Pam, talk to me."

"I don't know, it's stupid. I just get worried about Roy sometimes, which is totally stupid, because he's in jail, but I just get nervous. It's stupid, I know."

"Sweetheart, will you stop calling yourself stupid? It's fine. First off, I want you to know you're safe, but more importantly, I want you to _feel _safe. If you want me to lock the door, I can lock the door, okay?" Pam nodded. "Come on, let's get to bed. You have a big day tomorrow."

"Yeah," Pam smiled.

The next morning, Pam showered and blow dried her hair, making it appear shinier. She put on a pair of corduroys and a blouse, although she knew she was going to have to take them off anyway. She was going wedding dress shopping with her mother, her sister, Jim's mother, and Jim's sister. When she and Jim had let it slip at the office that she'd be going today, Kelly and Michael both enthusiastically invited themselves, but Pam politely declined. She started a pot of coffee in the kitchen and Jim stumbled out, still in a white t-shirt and his flannel pajamas.

"Try not to miss me too much today," Pam teased, knowing his plans consisted mainly of watching a baseball game on the couch.

"I'm already going crazy," he teased back, placing his hands on her waist to kiss her good morning.

"Me too," Pam said.

"Why are you going crazy? Isn't this supposed to be like, the best part of the wedding planning?"

"I'm meeting your mom for the first time!"

"Don't worry about her, she's really easy to get along with. My sister's the same way."

"I mean, it can't go as badly as you meeting my parents, can it?" Pam said sarcastically. Jim, unsure of how to react, just kissed her on the forehead.

"You want me to drive you?" Jim asked, as he knew it was almost time to go.

"I'm a big girl, I can handle it." She teased, kissing him goodbye. "I'll be back later."

"Love you," he called as she left.

"Love you, too!" She yelled back over her shoulder.

* * *

When she arrived at the small bridal boutique in downtown Scranton, her mother and sister were already waiting in the lobby, sitting on large plush sofas. Her sister, Penny, who she hadn't seen in over a year, nearly jumped and ran towards Pam when she saw her coming.

"Oh, I've missed you!" Penny said, wrapping her in a hug.

"I missed you too," Pam said, hugging her sister back enthusiastically. They had always been close.

"Hey Mom," Pam said, hugging her mother more gently.

"Hello, dear. How are you?"

"I'm doing alright," Pam smiled. "We can sit and wait for Jim's mom and sister," she suggested, sitting next to her sister, sinking into the couch more than she'd like to. "Wow, this is.. uh." Pam said, struggling to find a more comfortable decision, causing her sister to laugh.

"Hey!" Pam objected, playfully smacking her sister on the arm, but laughing as well.

"Girls!" Mrs. Beasley said sharply, causing them both to sit up and cease giggling.

Not a moment too soon, and Larissa, Jim's sister, appeared in the lobby of the bridal boutique.

"You must be Pam!" said excitedly, rushing towards her to give her a hug. "Nice to meet you, sweetheart! I'm Betsy, but you can just call me Momma."

Pam smiled. Jim was right, Betsy was sweet. "Nice to meet you," She said graciously. "You must be Larissa?" Pam said, extending her hand for a handshake. "Nice to meet you."

"You as well," Larissa responded, smiling.

"Hello ladies! Who is the bride?" An employee said, walking over to them.

"I am!" Pam said excitedly.

"Congrats, dear. I'm Lauren, and I'll be your consultant today. When's the wedding?"

"July 17th," Pam answered. They'd set the date earlier that week.

"Goodness, that's so soon!" Lauren remarked. "Well, let's get to it then!"


	30. Chapter 30

"So, dear, what's your name?" Lauren asked, leading Pam and her bridal party to the back of the boutique, where the appointment cubicles were.

"Pam," She answered.

"Where are you getting married, Pam?"

"In a church at Niagara falls." She answered happily.

"Anything special to consider as we shop?"

"Well, I'm going to be 7 months pregnant when I get married." She admitted to Lauren.

"You're what?!" Helene exclaimed.

"Well I guess that cat's out of the bag," Pam said to herself.

"Oh, Pam! I'm so excited!" Penny exclaimed, moving to the front of their small party to hug her sister again. "How far along are you?"

"A little over three months." Pam answered.

"Oh, Congrats, dear!" Betsy said, clasping her hands together in excitement.

Mrs. Beasley, swayed by the positive reactions of everyone else in the bridal party, seemed to calm down a little, and congratulated her daughter after Larissa did. In all the commotion, Pam didn't notice that Lauren had slipped away to grab dresses.

"I grabbed three maternity dresses and a baby pack," Lauren said, handing Pam the "baby pack" which attached to her stomach to represent her bump, so they could see a more accurate fit.

"Great, thank you." Pam said.

"Come on, dear. Let's get you into a dressing room."

Pam, once in the dressing room, put the baby pack on over her baby bump, and slid into the first dress, a lacy number with sleeves and a long train. Although she didn't like it, she still came out to show her party.

"It's not you," Penny said, the first to make a comment.

"Yeah, I don't really like it at all." Pam agreed.

"Oh thank God! I didn't want to say anything just in case you really liked it," Larissa said, eliciting a laugh from both of them. Pam was beyond glad that Jim's mother and sister were as easy to get along with as he had promised.

"Well, on to number two then!" Lauren said, leading Pam back to the dressing room, where she tried on a simpler number, with a long satin train that she didn't particularly like. She again walked out and showed her bridal party.

"How do you like it, sweetheart?" Helene asked.

"I like the dress, I just don't know how I feel about the train," Pam said.

"Do you want to try something without a train?" Lauren asked.

"Yes please!" She answered.

"The next one I picked out for you doesn't have a train, let's try that one."

"Great," Pam answered, returning to the dressing room once more.

The third dress had a bit more "poof" in the skirt, but it wasn't a ball gown. There were a few subtle gems around the waist line, and the top was a ruched, sweetheart neckline with spaghetti straps. She walked out again, much happier with the dress this time.

"I love it," Pam said softly as she looked at it in the mirror. Lauren handed her a veil, which she clipped into her hair, and it really hit her that she was a bride.

"It's perfect," both mothers said at the same time, resulting in a giggle.

"They're right." Penny agreed.

"Pam, you look absolutely gorgeous." Larissa praised.

"Is this the one?" Lauren asked.

"Absolutely." Pam nodded confidently.

After picking out a dress, the ladies all went to lunch together before going home. Larissa and Betsy were just as sarcastic and funny as Jim, which helped her nervousness about the situation immensely. By the time lunch was over, she truly felt like Betsy and Larissa had accepted her as a part of the family. Larissa, who had a six year old daughter named Vanessa and an 8 year old son named Max, gave Pam a lot of advice about how to help things like morning sickness and back pain. She left the lunch smiling, and came home with the garment bag, finding Jim exactly the way she'd expected she would: on the couch, watching a baseball game in sweatpants. Smiling to herself, she noticed that the house was clean.

"Hey, how was it?" Jim said, standing up when Pam walked through the door.

"It was great," Pam smiled, kissing her fiance as he walked over to greet her.

"See, I told you it would all be fine. Let's see the dress!"

"Absolutely not!" Pam said, though she was still smiling. "I'm putting this in the closet. No. Peeking." She emphasized, disappearing for a moment. When she returned, Jim had shut the T.V off. "Your mom and your sister are just like you," Pam said offhandedly.

"What do you mean?" Jim asked, genuinely curiously.

"They're both really funny and sarcastic."

"See, I told you they were easy to get along with."

"Yeah, you're pretty smart like that. I should've just listened." she sighed, preparing herself for what she had to say next.

"You alright, Beasley?"

"Yeah, I'm fine… I let it slip about the pregnancy today."

"That's great, hon!" Jim said excitedly, kissing her for a moment. He was glad she'd gotten over her fear of the subject, and didn't really catch on to the fact that she'd told her bridal party accidentally. "It went over well, I assume?"

"My mom was a little upset at first, but she warmed up to it. Your sister was really helpful actually. She told me a bunch of stuff she learned when she was pregnant with Vanessa and Max, who are both super adorable, by the way."

"I'm really happy you told them," Jim smiled, his hands clasped around her waist.

"So you're not mad?" Pam asked, a bit more concerned now.

"Why would I be mad?" Jim asked, confused. This was a good thing, right?

"I don't know, I thought you might want to tell them together." She said, a bit sheepish.

"Sweetheart, I'm just glad you did it," he assured her.

"Okay, good." Pam smiled. "It's like, real now. We're really having a baby." She began to giggle. Jim laughed also, kissing her again.


	31. Chapter 31

After telling their families about Pam's pregnancy, Jim and Pam realized that it was time to let the office know. Neither was especially excited about it, given the tendency their coworkers had to blow things out of proportion. Monday morning at about 10:30, Jim knocked on Michael's office door, entering once he was given permission.

"Jimbo! Pamalamadingdong! Ah, two of my best friends. Come in, have a seat? What's up? The sex still great? Do anything fun lately?"

"Michael," Jim said firmly, trying to stop his mile a minute monologue.

"Ooh hooh hoo, someone's getting down to business."

"Yeah, Michael. We just wanted to request some time off." Jim continued

"Did you guys set a date for your wedding?" Michael asked excitedly.

"Yup, Michael, we did, so let's stay focused, and-" Jim was cut off

"Where's my invitation?" Michael whined.

"It'll be in the mail next week, Michael," Pam said.

"Awesome! Awesome, Awesome Awesome. Alright, so, time off. When's the wedding?"

"July 17th," they answered together, then turning to smile at each other.

"Alright, lovebirds. You two sexy things want a week off to get your groove on?"

"Michael," Jim said, asking him with his tone to calm down.

"A week off would be great, Michael. Thanks." Pam said gratefully.

"Anytime, kiddos."

"Oh, Michael. Please don't call us kiddos." Pam requested.

"Actually Michael, we both wanted to take a leave of absence about two months after the wedding, Pam and I are expecting." Jim said casually, hoping  
Michael would remain calm at the declaration.

"Oh, cool! Expecting what?" Michael asked, curious. Jim threw his head in his hands.

"A baby, Michael," Pam answered, somehow not surprised that he didn't know what the expression meant, though her tone was still aggravated.

"A baby?" Michael said, confused. "Oh my God, you're pregnant?" he said, the light bulb flicking on now.

"Yes, Michael. I am-" but before Pam could finish, Michael had run out into the area where all the cubicles sat.

"Pam is pregnant and it's Jim's baby!" He yelled. "Everyone stop working! Pam is pregnant and it's Jim's baby."

All the yelling caused Toby, Ryan, and Kelly to emerge from the annex.

"What's going on? Ryan and I were like, totally in the middle of something."

"Yeah, Kelly, what you two were doing really wasn't appropriate for work, and-"

"Pam is pregnant with Jim's baby!" Michael yelled again.

By now, Pam and Jim had come out of Michael's office, and looked none too happy with all the commotion.

"Oh my God, Pam!" Kelly said excitedly, rushing towards her to hug her. "You are like, living my dream! I am so happy for you! Yay! I love shopping for baby clothes."

"Living your dream?" Angela protested. "She is pregnant out of wedlock!"

"In Biblical times, she'd be stoned." Dwight said objectively.

"Alright, why don't we all just calm down-" Jim said, stepping in front of Pam protectively.

"Hey Halpert! How was the sex!"

"Damnit Meredith, why do you have to make everything so dirty!" Kelly yelled.

"Jim's right," Oscar said calmly. "Let's all just calm down. This happens. Jim and Pam are a "soon to be married" couple. It's natural that they'd end up having a baby at some point."

"Not necessarily," Ryan said, more interested in his blackberry than the actual commotion.

"Will everybody just shut up!" Pam yelled loud enough to get just what she had asked for. "Jim and I are having a baby in September. That's it. Now can we all take a deep breath and get back to work?" She demanded, taking her seat at reception again. It was awkward for a few moments, but everyone did as she requested and got back to work. After a few minutes, she received an email from Jim.

"That could've gone worse," it said.

"Really? You think so?" She responded quickly.

"Not really, but it seemed like the right thing to say."

Pam laughed audibly from her desk at this, and Jim smiled to himself. He had done his job.

* * *

Late that night, Jim and Pam were in bed, Pam wrapped up in Jim's arms. They were both asleep, as it was nearly 3:00 in the morning. Jim woke up when he felt Pam shaking, nearly convulsing, next to him.

"Pam," He whispered, wondering if she was cold. When she didn't respond, his voice grew a little more urgent. "Pam, wake up. Pam, sweetheart, wake up. Pam!"

After a moment, she woke up, tears stinging her eyes when they burst open. She was still shaking, and now let out a noise that was somewhere in between a sigh and a sob.

"Pam, sweetheart, what's wrong? Look at me," he asked urgently.

She turned to face him, still shaking and crying. She didn't say anything, but somehow Jim knew she had had a nightmare.

"Shh," he comforted her, pulling her head into his shoulder and rubbing comforting circles on her back. "It was just a dream. It was just a bad dream."

"Jim, it was terrible. I can't do this."

"Can't do what?" Jim asked, pulling back for a moment to look into her eyes, concerned. He wasn't losing her, was he? He couldn't lose her.

"I'm so scared, Jim. What if I'm not a good parent?" Jim relaxed when he realized that he wasn't losing her.

"Pam, you're going to be the best parent this kid could ever have,"

"How can you possibly know that?"

"Because you told me you weren't hurt when you were surrounded by broken glass and bleeding, just because you wanted to protect me. Pam, you are so, so brave, and our kid will see that courage in you and learn from it. You love having fun, and our kid is going to love having fun with his or her mommy more than 're forgiving. You've forgiven people who've wronged you, and I haven't even forgiven them yet." Jim didn't say Roy's name, but it was pretty clear that he was who Jim was addressing. "You're going to be a great mother."

Pam had calmed down now. Listening to Jim's voice had always been soothing to her. She wiped a few stray tears from her eyes and kissed Jim's lips quickly.

"Thanks. Sorry I woke you up. I've been having terrible dreams lately," she apologized.

"You've had more than one dream like this?" Jim asked, concerned.

"Yeah," she admitted sheepishly.

"Pam, sweetheart, that's not good. You're way too stressed out right now."

"Well, what am I supposed to do? We have a wedding in four months and a baby due in six."

"What do you have left of the wedding planning?" Jim asked calmly.

"The catering, booking the hotel rooms and the reception area, and the honeymoon."

"I can handle all of that." Jim said confidently.

"You sure?" Pam asked.

"Absolutely."

"Thanks, Jim," Pam said, knowing how big a relief it would be to have those things off her shoulders.

"Of course, babe. Now, let's get back to bed. I love you," he said, kissing her nose.

"I love you too," she smiled.


	32. Chapter 32

Pam stirred from her sleep feeling bloated and nauseous. Moaning, she rolled out of bed and went to the bathroom, taking solace in the fact that morning sickness would soon be over, or so she hoped. So far, there was no end in sight. Now at four months, she had made it through the first trimester, and was in what her doctors had called "the honeymoon period," where her body had adjusted to all the first trimester changes, but wasn't quite ready to start with the third trimester changes. She had tried not to wake Jim, but one can only gag so quietly.

"Hey," he said quietly, swinging open the door.

"It's four in the morning. Go back to bed, I'm fine," She said, waving a hand behind her to dismiss him.

"Come here, you know I'm not going to go back to bed until you're with me. I can't sleep when you're not there." He sat down next to her on the cold white linoleum of their bathroom. "I brought you some ginger ale and a few saltines," he said groggily, handing both of them to her. Jim had read in a parenting book that eating, though counterintuitive, could actually help get rid of morning sickness. His mom had always brought him ginger ale and saltines when he was sick, although he realized that this wasn't exactly the same thing.

"Is it diet?" Pam asked, examining the label, her voice still weak from just waking up.

"I don't know, Pam." Jim said, a little frustrated, but trying not to show it to his overly-emotional fiance.

"I wish there was a way to be pregnant without getting fat," Pam groaned, nibbling on a cracker.

"Pam, you're not fat," Jim pleaded.

"I've gained 17 pounds, Jim!"

"The doctor said 16 to 22 pounds was healthy for the first trimester, sweetheart. If you had gained less, I'd be concerned, to be honest. The baby wouldn't be as healthy that way."

"I look disgusting," she complained.

"You look beautiful." he contradicted. "Pam, have you ever looked at a pregnant woman and thought "Look how disgusting and fat she is?""

"No," Pam admitted, not sure where he was going.

"Well, why are you letting your hormonal body trick you into thinking that about yourself?" Jim asked, willing to do anything to make her see how ridiculous she was being without offending her. She couldn't afford to go back to the mindset of using food as control. It could seriously hurt her and their baby.

"I don't know," Pam realized sheepishly. "I don't feel sick anymore, let's get back to bed.

Instead of letting Pam walk to the bedroom, Jim picked her up bridal style, like he did often before she was pregnant. Although it was a bit harder now, he wasn't about to let Pam know that.

"It's like you haven't gained a pound," Jim said after placing Pam in the bed, then going to his side to climb in. He smirked to himself as he realized how arbitrary their "sides" were, given that they slept in the middle every night, with Jim holding Pam's waist, and Pam leaning her head against Jim's chest.

"Jim," Pam whispered a few minutes later.

"Hm?" He asked sleepily.

"Are you still going to be attracted to me after the baby is born?"

"Absolutely, I will." Jim answered confidently, not even taking half a second to consider.

"Are you sure? What if I don't lose all the weight?" She asked nervously.

"I'll still think you're beautiful."

"What if I can't spend time doing my hair and makeup because I spend all morning chasing after the baby?"

"Well, I can take care of the baby while you do your hair and makeup, or you can just let it all fall naturally, which is just as stunning, in my opinion."

Pam knew that Jim might be lying, but she almost didn't care, because she knew he was lying to make her happy, if he was.

"I love you."

"Love you too, Beasley. Get to sleep," he teased.

"Jim?" Pam whispered. "You're going to be a good dad."

Jim smiled. "Thanks, Beasley. You're going to be a kick-ass mom."

"Jim?"

"Beasley," Jim sighed.

"I had a dream earlier and it was totally crazy and I need you to tell me that it was totally crazy." Pam said hurriedly.

"Okay, slow down. What happened?" Jim asked, concerned.

"He came after our baby." She said softly, not wanting to say it, as if saying made it real.

"No, sweetheart. Never." Jim said firmly. Roy would never see the face of his child. Not a chance in hell. "He's gone now. He's in prison. I promise he's never, ever going to touch our baby."

"How can you promise that?" Pam asked, near hysterics. "He could get out! He could come here!"

"Pam, you have to calm down." Jim said firmly but gently.

Something in Jim's tone convinced Pam to pull it together, not because she was scared, but because she had to do it without Jim coddling her through it. She needed to do it for herself. It could've taken minutes, hours, years, but she did it.

"Thank you," Pam murmured, exhausted from her moment of catharsis.

"For what?"

"Letting me do that on my own."

"It's good that you love me, Beasley, cause you sure as hell don't need me." Jim smiled. It was a good thing.

"You know, I think I'll keep you around, anyways." Pam smiled up at him, pecking his lips.

"To be fair, I'm keeping you around, seeing as this is my apartment." Jim teased, smiling at her.

"Technicalities," Pam said dismissively, waving a hand in his direction.

Smirking, Jim kissed the area where her smooth shoulder met her neck, causing the hairs on the back of it to stand up.

"Go to bed, Beasley."

"Don't tell me what to do," She teased.

"Too late."

"Fine, but I'm going to bed because I'm exhausted."

"Good enough for me. Love you, Beasley."

"Always, Halpert."

"Always," he nodded in agreement, liking the idea.


End file.
